Bacchus Lady (Lee Jae-young) The title refers to a rather sad aspect of S. Korean society, the "Bacchus Ladies", elderly Korean prostitutes who solicit in parks and plazas in Seoul for sex in nearby motels. Their name derives from the popular Bacchus energy drink that they are selling in parks where elderly men gather. The women are in their 50s, 60, even their 80s.The price of selling sex is about 20,000 to 30,000 won ($18-26) or even less if the man is a regular client. In a testimony, about 400 women work in Jongmyo Park in Seoul. The younger men in their 20s to 40s are also becoming their clients. The film revolves around one of those women, named So-yeong, who is 65-years old. In her rather sad life, she lives in a small complex along …show more content…
The film follows So-yeong in her interactions, mostly with men, that include a young man who wants to shoot a documentary about the "Bacchus Ladies", a very sick man in a hospital who desperately searches for a way to die, and another one who asks her to be with him as he commits …show more content…
Love of any kind (for family, for friends, for boyfriend/girlfriend) is not a pure sentiment, but one that can lead people to do harm to anyone that comes across them. In the harsh environment of the contemporary megalopolis, no one can actually help the ones he loves, despite the will to go to extremes. In that fashion, Lee Seong-tae seems to have been influenced by Kim Ki-duk, in terms of character 's creation. As the story unfolds, the situation for every character deteriorates, violence increases and everyone becomes both victim and perpetrator, with the film actually becoming an agonizing thriller towards the end, until the truly shocking and remarkable finale. Accordingly, the role of the film 's true villain falls on Ga-yeong 's ex-boyfriend, who does not seem to feel any remorse in his quest for revenge. The acting is on a very high level. Minho is great as Jin-il, as he expresses his continuous agony to take care of everyone around him without any kind of support from anyone. Ma Dong-seok is impressive as both a cruel thug and a tender father, while exemplifying the fact that he is another victim of the times. Lastly, Kim Jae-young is great as the sociopathic villain, who feels no remorse