This review may contain spoilers
A queer comedy full of heart in the Korean countryside
I am in Seoul for the next few months for work so alongside trying to learn as much Korean as I can, I want to try and watch more indie Korean films which are difficult to watch in Europe. For this reason, I looked up cinemas which offered English subtitles and saw that the next day, one of them offered a screening of a film I had not heard of, but which sounded exactly like my jam. 이반리 장만옥(Iban-ri Jang Man-ok) or Manok for its international title follows Jang Manok, a middle-aged lesbian, owner of a lesbian bar in Seoul as she decides to move back to the village she grew up in, Iban-ri, after her mother dies and following financial difficulties with her bar. There, she decides to take on her ex-husband who is the current village chief, a dick, and terrible at his job.
The film is inherently queer, not just because of the plethora of queer characters played by queer actors (at least when it comes to the trans characters), but also because of the themes being presented and dealt with. The film opens in a lesbian bar, Manok’s as we can feel the end of an era and the change that society has gone through since Manok opened her bar 20 years prior. Younger queer people have it easier than Manok, they want things to change and they want to create their own ways of doing things and celebrating being queer. On the other side, we have Manok who feels safe in the tradition that they established a couple of decades ago when everything was harder, when you needed to go away from the centre of Seoul to be able to open a lesbian bar, and when going to the big city was the only way to be yourself.
When the film moves to Iban-ri, we are presented with another type of discussion about how to be queer in the 2020s. Manok comes back to the place she grew up, where she was rejected by her mother, and where she fled from a loveless marriage to be openly herself in the big city. Some things have changed and yet, compared to the changes we have seen in the opening scenes in Seoul, much is still the same. That is, for those who stayed, Manok has changed and in her time in Iban-ri, she realises that she can be the one to change things to make it better for the queer people who live there, but also for everyone who feels like they have been left behind, like the elderly inhabitants who live alone with no one to take care of them. And this, really, is the heart of the film. How prejudice can come from all sides, but that it is only through talking with each other, understanding where the other is coming from that we can achieve something for the benefit of everyone.
This story is full of heart, but it is also very funny. The dialogues are funny, there is much situational comedy, and the actors have some great delivery! In her attempt to become the new village chief as she confronts her ex-husband or a transphobic teacher, the film transforms the confrontation into a scene out of a modern western or a rap battle. It is delightful and manages to make scenes which might have been hard to watch into something hilarious where you just want to cheer or watch Manok drop the mic. The homophobes and the transphobes still exist, but as Manok says in the beginning, young people "have it way easier than [she] ever fucking did". What this means is that bullies are nothing new, but her, her partner Geumja, and her friend, Soena know exactly how to deal with them, whether they are teenagers who are repeating what they hear other say, teachers who should be helping kids explore who they are but prefer spewing hate, or fundamentalist queerphobic Christian groups coming to impose their worldview. When watching this film, I got reminded of the film Pride which is a huge compliment in my book. It has some similar discussions while dealing with a different topic and being way more of a comedy than Pride is.
Another point I want to mention is the inclusion of trans people in the film. Soena, Manok’s friend is played by Saekja, a trans artist who has been active on stage for decades and is in her late 60s. I loved Soena, she was always dressed fabulously, even to come to the countryside which is always a good source of comedy, but it is also just how she is. She is a performer whether she is on or off the stage and she refuses to be anyone but herself. She also a delightful no-nonsense character who is done with her friends not talking and will take matter into her own hands if need be. She also, alongside Manok and Geumja, acts as a mentor for Jaeyeong, her ex-husband’s kid who has just decided to cut his hair at the beginning of the film as he tries to affirm his identity in a place where prejudices are still rampant. Sung Jaeyung, a trans man himself, is really good in his role and I was truly rooting for Jaeyeong to find himself, find his community, and be able to blossom. The character was also a good way to show both what life can still be like today in rural areas, but also that hate is not limited to one of the letters of the LGBTQ acronym.
Yang Malbok is great in her role of Manok and I was in from the start. She is not nice, she is not perfect, she is even quite annoying at times, but as she shows again and again throughout the film, she cares. She cares so much and she is always ready to help. I found myself rooting for her, not just because she is the main character in the film, but because you can tell she is doing her utmost for the people around her and it is not just words.
Without going into too much details, I loved the secondary characters in the village, from her childhood friend, her mum and her employee who decide to help Manok with her campaign to become the new village chief (and I could go on about how this is another example of how after trying to do things like they work in Seoul, they realise that they need to use the way things work in Iban-ri if they want to succeed). Her ex-husband is a delightful character, you love to hate him, he is such a tool, a great antagonist for the film. His new wife, while a minor character is also a character I appreciated and I liked to see how she evolved throughout the film. I love the leader of scooter gang of grannies (and I will leave it at that for you to discover when you watch the film). Finally, I liked Geumja, Manok’s partner and how rather than showing us a developing romance, the film shows us how the relationship is after 20 years, why they love each other, but also how communication is always necessary.
The film was a joy to watch. I would absolutely watch it again. I am very glad that the screening I went to had merch you received when buying your ticket and I now have a poster of the film in my bedroom here in Korea and I am very happy about it. I do hope it gets released more widely so others can watch it because it deserves for many people to watch and enjoy it!
Also did I mention that there are drag scenes in the film? Did I mention it was queer and delightful? Pro-tip, stay until the end of the end credits. ;)
P.S.: I also ended up at a screening where the director came to discuss the film and do a Q&A, but my Korean is very limited so I am waiting for a friend to come and translate what was said. When that is done, I think I will come back to add extra info that were provided then.
The film is inherently queer, not just because of the plethora of queer characters played by queer actors (at least when it comes to the trans characters), but also because of the themes being presented and dealt with. The film opens in a lesbian bar, Manok’s as we can feel the end of an era and the change that society has gone through since Manok opened her bar 20 years prior. Younger queer people have it easier than Manok, they want things to change and they want to create their own ways of doing things and celebrating being queer. On the other side, we have Manok who feels safe in the tradition that they established a couple of decades ago when everything was harder, when you needed to go away from the centre of Seoul to be able to open a lesbian bar, and when going to the big city was the only way to be yourself.
When the film moves to Iban-ri, we are presented with another type of discussion about how to be queer in the 2020s. Manok comes back to the place she grew up, where she was rejected by her mother, and where she fled from a loveless marriage to be openly herself in the big city. Some things have changed and yet, compared to the changes we have seen in the opening scenes in Seoul, much is still the same. That is, for those who stayed, Manok has changed and in her time in Iban-ri, she realises that she can be the one to change things to make it better for the queer people who live there, but also for everyone who feels like they have been left behind, like the elderly inhabitants who live alone with no one to take care of them. And this, really, is the heart of the film. How prejudice can come from all sides, but that it is only through talking with each other, understanding where the other is coming from that we can achieve something for the benefit of everyone.
This story is full of heart, but it is also very funny. The dialogues are funny, there is much situational comedy, and the actors have some great delivery! In her attempt to become the new village chief as she confronts her ex-husband or a transphobic teacher, the film transforms the confrontation into a scene out of a modern western or a rap battle. It is delightful and manages to make scenes which might have been hard to watch into something hilarious where you just want to cheer or watch Manok drop the mic. The homophobes and the transphobes still exist, but as Manok says in the beginning, young people "have it way easier than [she] ever fucking did". What this means is that bullies are nothing new, but her, her partner Geumja, and her friend, Soena know exactly how to deal with them, whether they are teenagers who are repeating what they hear other say, teachers who should be helping kids explore who they are but prefer spewing hate, or fundamentalist queerphobic Christian groups coming to impose their worldview. When watching this film, I got reminded of the film Pride which is a huge compliment in my book. It has some similar discussions while dealing with a different topic and being way more of a comedy than Pride is.
Another point I want to mention is the inclusion of trans people in the film. Soena, Manok’s friend is played by Saekja, a trans artist who has been active on stage for decades and is in her late 60s. I loved Soena, she was always dressed fabulously, even to come to the countryside which is always a good source of comedy, but it is also just how she is. She is a performer whether she is on or off the stage and she refuses to be anyone but herself. She also a delightful no-nonsense character who is done with her friends not talking and will take matter into her own hands if need be. She also, alongside Manok and Geumja, acts as a mentor for Jaeyeong, her ex-husband’s kid who has just decided to cut his hair at the beginning of the film as he tries to affirm his identity in a place where prejudices are still rampant. Sung Jaeyung, a trans man himself, is really good in his role and I was truly rooting for Jaeyeong to find himself, find his community, and be able to blossom. The character was also a good way to show both what life can still be like today in rural areas, but also that hate is not limited to one of the letters of the LGBTQ acronym.
Yang Malbok is great in her role of Manok and I was in from the start. She is not nice, she is not perfect, she is even quite annoying at times, but as she shows again and again throughout the film, she cares. She cares so much and she is always ready to help. I found myself rooting for her, not just because she is the main character in the film, but because you can tell she is doing her utmost for the people around her and it is not just words.
Without going into too much details, I loved the secondary characters in the village, from her childhood friend, her mum and her employee who decide to help Manok with her campaign to become the new village chief (and I could go on about how this is another example of how after trying to do things like they work in Seoul, they realise that they need to use the way things work in Iban-ri if they want to succeed). Her ex-husband is a delightful character, you love to hate him, he is such a tool, a great antagonist for the film. His new wife, while a minor character is also a character I appreciated and I liked to see how she evolved throughout the film. I love the leader of scooter gang of grannies (and I will leave it at that for you to discover when you watch the film). Finally, I liked Geumja, Manok’s partner and how rather than showing us a developing romance, the film shows us how the relationship is after 20 years, why they love each other, but also how communication is always necessary.
The film was a joy to watch. I would absolutely watch it again. I am very glad that the screening I went to had merch you received when buying your ticket and I now have a poster of the film in my bedroom here in Korea and I am very happy about it. I do hope it gets released more widely so others can watch it because it deserves for many people to watch and enjoy it!
Also did I mention that there are drag scenes in the film? Did I mention it was queer and delightful? Pro-tip, stay until the end of the end credits. ;)
P.S.: I also ended up at a screening where the director came to discuss the film and do a Q&A, but my Korean is very limited so I am waiting for a friend to come and translate what was said. When that is done, I think I will come back to add extra info that were provided then.
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