Korean Film Festival: The Bacchus Lady

The Korean Program presents: The Bacchus Lady

A Special Screening and Q&A with Director E J-­‐yong

Friday, April 7, 2017
Reception: 6:00-­7:00 P.M.
Screening: 7:00-­9:30 P.M.
International Center 115
Free and Open to the Public

Synopsis: So-­‐young makes a meager living by selling
herself to old men. She is a “Bacchus lady”, an elderly
prostitute who approaches potential clients with a
bottle of the popular Korean energy drink Bacchus and
the phrase “Care for a drink?” As a young woman, she
used to sell herself to American soldiers. Perhaps driven
by the painful memory of giving up her half-­‐black infant
son for adoption, she is unable to ignore the
motherless Korean-­‐Filipino child she meets while
visiting the hospital. Despite help from her social
outcast neighbors like Madame Tina, her transgender
landlady, or Do-­‐hoon, a poor young man with a
prosthetic leg, she struggles to care for the child. One
day, Jae-­‐woo, a former client, informs her that Song,
another regular, has been hospitalized following a
stroke. She visits the hospital to discover the man
completely paralyzed. Song begs her to end his life, a
request that causes her both bewilderment and dismay.

This film contains adult content and themes. Viewer discretion is advised.

A five-­stop tour with events at:
Penn State University (April 1)
Ohio State University (April 3)
University of Wisconsin-­Madison (April 5)
University of Minnesota (April 6)
Michigan State University (April 7)

In collaboration with OSU’s Institute of Korean Studies, the film screening at Michigan State University is made
possible by the Korea Foundation, the Korea International Trade Association, the Asian Studies Center and
Department of Linguistics and Germanic, Slavic, Asian and African Languages at MSU.