Park Am

Sa Bangji was an intersex person who according to historical records lived during Korea’s Joseon Dynasty. Taken in by a kindly benefactor, Sa Bangji lives in a monastery that is one day visited by a young widow, Lee So-sa, who is in mourning following the death of her husband. The pair’s meeting seems predestined, with the erotic attraction between Sa Bangji and Lee So-sa soon evolving into something far more transcendent – and dangerous. While aspects of the film – its stylised depiction of female actors and sex – identify it as a product of its time, Sa Bangji is undeniably a milestone in screen representations of intersex people, a film that refuses to shy away from the horrendous stigmatization faced by its titular character.

No plot available for this movie.

No plot available for this movie.

No plot available for this movie.

The film centers on independence and intelligence of a woman who makes active choices regardless of social norms and ethics. The main character is a divorcee, Eul-hye, and the story unfolds as she encounters different men and experiences with dramatic incidents and conflicts.

Magistrate Hwang's daughter Jin-yi, is jilted before her wedding because a shoe maker was smitten with her and commits suicide. Jin-yi becomes a courtesan, and becomes famous for her wits and beauty. She falls for Byuk Kye-su, but he's chosen to be an envoy to a far off kingdom. When he leaves she feels so betrayed she takes to a life of wandering. She meets Lee Saeng, a destitute scholar, and stays with him until she discovers he's going to sell her to a group of itinerate clowns. Instead, she joins them willingly.

Hye-sung grew up poor but he has a gifted talent for baseball. Eom-ji has watched over him since they were young. Hye-sung falls in love with Eom-ji but when she transfers to another school, they don't see each other for years. Hye-sung and Eom-ji meet again at a baseball field but Um-ji is now the girlfriend of the exceptional hitter of high school, Ma Dong-tak. Hye-sung competes endlessly with Dong-tak over Eom-ji. But he ends up with a serious shoulder injury and gives up baseball. Then Manager Sohn Byung-ho gathers up dismissed baseball players and forms a team. Manager Sohn puts his team through extreme training and Hye-sung returns to the baseball world. He competes once more with Dong-tak, who is by Eom-ji's side.

Do-hee crashes her motorcycle and ends up in a hospital, where she meets Seon-a—an in-patient battling a rare, incurable bone cancer. They form a tender friendship. Do-hee, moved by Seon-a’s spirit, joins a university mountaineering club and climbs Seorak Mountain, praying for her recovery. Seon-a’s parents care deeply, but her condition continues to worsen.

In the middle of the Koryo dynasty, the wealthy man Jo wants So-yah so he kills her husband, Huh Jun. So-yah follows her husband by killing herself. She asks her a cat to avenge them. The cat licks the blood of the dead So-yah. The cat calls forth evil power and finally appears in front of Jo's house. Every night, the cat causes trouble for Jo so he has all the cats in the village killed. However, the evil power of the cat goes to Young-rang, Jo's second wife. At night, Young-rang steals the spirit of Jo. The family elders go to the master Buddhist priest Hye-sung for his advice. Hye-sung subdues the cat's spirit but Jo is already dead. So-yah's soul goes to heaven with her husband's soul.

In 1910, Korea suffers the humiliation of being annexed by Japan. Young patriots form an independence group called Bukrogun Jeongseo. General Kim Jwa-jin as well as freedom fighters such as Lee Bum-suk, Na Jung-jo are burning with nationalistic spirit. Japan takes over Manchuria. In order to destroy the freedom fighters, Japan employs the Manchurian bandit, Jang Jak-rim, and starts plotting their destruction. Risking their lives, the freedom fighters engage in a bloody battle at Chungsan-ri under the extraordinary leadership and burning patriotism of General Kim Jwa-jin. Despite being greatly outnumbered, the freedom fighters are triumphant.