A genuinely funny queer film has arrived. Released on the 10th, <Iban-ri Jang Man-ok> is not funny ‘for a’ queer film, but simply a comedy with a high success rate for laughs.

In Seoul, the middle-aged lesbian ‘Man-ok’ (Yang Mal-bok) had been living a flashy life, then suddenly decides to move down to her hometown village. With her return, the rural Chungcheong village of ‘Iban-ri’ is thrown into turmoil. Because Man-ok is a lesbian? No. Because she is the ex-wife of the petty village head ‘Chul-ju’ (Park Wan-gyu).

Chul-ju wields the clout of a powerful rural village head and blocks every step of Man-ok, who wishes to live quietly. Man-ok is not someone who will simply endure. Conveniently, the village head’s term is about to expire. “Shall I just go ahead and become village head once?” A now-or-never election battle unfolds.

It is the feature debut of director Lee Yoo-jin (35), a graduate of the Korea National University of Arts School of Film, who has explored queer narratives through shorts such as <Good Mother>, <Nadeuli>, and <Butch up!>. “I wanted to show that a film whose protagonist is a social minority can also be entertaining.” We met the director at a cafe in Jongno-gu, Seoul, on the 10th, the day of release.

The subject matter it tackles is not light. It absorbs the social mood that casts uneasy looks at sexual minorities and the patriarchal, closed nature of rural society. Yet it never turns preachy. With a single shot or a few lines, the director makes that backdrop feel immediately legible.

From the first scene set in the lesbian bar ‘Rainbow’ that Man-ok runs, you can surmise what kind of person she is. Every year around Lunar New Year she throws a party at the bar. As a dependable big-sister figure, she hopes queer friends and juniors estranged from their families will not feel lonely. But when she speaks as if, ‘as we have for 20 years, of course the queer festival after-party will be held here again this year,’ the young leadership looks flustered. Man-ok, who talks about how hard it was when there were no older lesbian mentors and says people like you have it easier, is a ‘kkondae’.

The director said, “Man-ok is a person long past agonizing over identity, who has diligently built a queer life,” adding, “To show that history all at once, I began the story in a shop draped in rainbows.” After moving back to her hometown, Man-ok shows traits that are the same yet different. She bares her teeth at the older brother who attacks her and at her ex-husband, but before village elders she lowers her tail and plays meek. “A kkondae must behave well toward those even more senior. It is easy to think the generational conflict in the sexual minority community is something unique, but I wanted to show a more universal image of middle age.”

Man-ok is an adult whose very existence is consoling, even if she is not perfect. This is especially true for the teenager ‘Jae-yeon’ (Sung Jae-yoon), whose assigned sex was female but who seeks to become an FTM (Female to Male) transgender man. The director said, “Queer teenagers living in the regions can be far more isolated than those in big cities,” and added, “I thought it would be nice if Man-ok could drop into Jae-yeon’s life like a gift.” For Man-ok, there is the queer community in Seoul and a partner, ‘Geum-ja’ (Kim Jung-young), who has fought alongside her for 20 years. They will keep watch so that Jae-yeon, who has only just begun the exploration of identity, will not be alone on the road ahead.

Actor Sung Jae-yoon is himself an FTM transgender person. ‘Sun-a’, a long-time friend of Man-ok and Geum-ja, is played by Saekja, a first-generation MTF (assigned male at birth but identifying as female, Male to Female) transgender performer. The director said, “Transgender identity is the thing itself, so I could not imagine non-trans actors taking these roles,” and from the outset believed the parts should go to trans actors. “In truth, both performances were imbued with their lives.”

Thinking there are few queer films for teenagers, the director wanted a film that everyone could watch. Not wanting those concerned to end up in tears while watching, she tucked in comic, lovely moments wherever sad scenes surged up. Back in her hometown speaking the Chungcheong dialect, Man-ok jokes, “Better to be brazen than petty,” then burns with resolve to run for village head, saying, “I really do want to do this well.” Actor Yang Mal-bok performs Man-ok so that you cannot help but love her, at once firm, merry, and delicate.

In a society where many now openly voice hostility toward minorities, this film waves the radiant rainbow flag more vigorously and more playfully. The director said, “I believe laughter overcomes prejudice and indifference.”

The response has been strong, with first-week GV (audience Q and A) events selling out every seat, yet the limited number of screens is a regret. The director said, “It is a film where you laugh out loud together with the person next to you in the theater, and then on your way home you feel a lump in your throat,” and added, “However many screens remain, I plan to keep this film noisy. I will approach like Man-ok, (tireless).”