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‘[The Bacchus Lady is] South Korean helmer-scribe E J-yong’s impassioned study of old ladies who turn tricks to make ends meet. Taking on a potentially sordid subject, E brings attention to the harsh realities of growing old without a safety net, but also infuses his characters with warmth and racy humor, typified by the never-say-die attitude of the heroine as played by the magnetic Youn Yuh-jung. The film expands beyond senior prostitution to explore a range of social issues, championing diversity in a subtle, unpatronizing way.

Without lingering gratuitously on the sexual aspect of So-young’s routines, the narrative moves on to her relationships with her regular customers, whose lonely existence is no less painful or meaningless than So-young’s. E offers a sympathetic portrayal of each man, whether it’s the once-dapper Savile Row Song, bed-bound in a home; Jung-soo, whose dementia is advancing rapidly; or the gentlemanly widower Jae-woo (Chon Moon-song), who conceals his long-festering depression. Eventually, So-young finds herself roped into offering them a “service” that’s more dicey than illegal sex, giving insight into why Bacchus ladies are indispensable to old men with diminished or non-existent sex drives.’ Variety

Ages 18+