As elderly men stroll around lush, sun-soaked parks in the city, equally aged women approach them offering energy drinks called “Bacchus,” which is also the name of the Roman god of wine and debauchery. This exchange is code for a particular type of prostitution among seniors in Korea, and forms the basis of director-writer E J-yong’s “The Bacchus Lady.”

The contemplative erotic drama has been garnering international attention, screening at numerous international film festivals -- Berlin, Hong Kong, Munich -- this year. Last month, it nabbed the award for best screenplay at Montreal’s Fantasia International Film Festival, while its lead actress Youn Yuh-jung, 69, won the best actress award.

Lauded for her aching portrayal of a sex worker, the veteran actress seems to be riding a second wave after a prolific career straddling the big and small screens. Since her 1966 debut, Youn has starred in films such as director Kim Ki-young’s “The Insect Woman” (1972), Im Sang-soo’s “A Good Lawyer’s Wife” (2003) and “The Housemaid” (2010).

But delving into the life of her new character was one of the most painful experiences of her career, the actress told reporters after a press screening in Seoul, Tuesday.

“I’ve always felt that actors are ‘emotional laborers,’” said Youn. “But (Bacchus Lady) was even more extreme. I became somewhat depressed during filming.”


The plot follows 65-year-old So-young, played by Youn, who sells sex at the affordable price of 40,000 won ($36) to grey-haired men she solicits at parks, the No.1 hangout spot for the elderly in Korea. Recognized as exceptionally good at what she does, So-young is the envy of other “Bacchus ladies” and manages to scrape a living for herself.

One day, while visiting a clinic to get treatment for a sexually transmitted disease, she encounters Min-ho, a young Korean-Filipino boy whose mother has been sent to prison for murder. She decides to bring the boy to her home and care for him. At times, she takes him along on her outings (he stays with the motel’s concierge while she is attending to clients) and at other times, she leaves him with her friendly neighbors Do-hoon (Yoon Kye-sang), a figurine artist with a prosthetic leg, and Tina (Ahn A-zu), the transgender landlady.

As So-young goes about her job, she realizes her aging clientele is falling ill, losing sexual function or dying. Eventually, So-young, ever the excellent provider, begins to offer a different, more morbid kind of service.

In “Bacchus Lady” the subject of prostitution is given a light-hearted touch, with jovial music strumming in the background. But the film by no means glamorizes the work, gently but firmly demonstrating how it can be emotionally bruising. Also shown are several explicit scenes of So-young servicing her clients, some in which she is forced against her will.

“There are some things you don’t want to experience in life,” said Youn. “There is a world you want to die not knowing. I’ve experienced that world (in this film).”


The documentary-like sequence slowly evolves to examine the loneliness of growing old, what makes life worth living and what urges people to leave it behind. The film offers three cases of the elderly seeking their own death: a paralyzed man, another whose mind is incapacitated by dementia, and a third who has been left alone with no family.

Director E (“My Brilliant Life,” 2014) wanted to draw on the “major instances in which the elderly take their own lives in our society,” he said, and call attention to the need for elderly care.

“There’s nothing more depressing than not knowing who you are or being left alone,” said E. “We’re living in a world where you wonder if longevity is a blessing or a curse. If you don’t die a natural death, you are left struggling with how to die, a choice which is too hard to handle.”

“The Bacchus Lady” opens in local theaters on Oct. 6.

By Rumy Doo (doo@heraldcorp.com)