From bar owner to village chief: director Lee Yu-jin's ‘Manok' puts middle-aged lesbian in charge

From bar owner to village chief: director Lee Yu-jin's ‘Manok' puts middle-aged lesbian in charge

A middle-aged queer woman rarely leads Korean films, let alone cheerful political comedies set in a sleepy village. With “Manok” (2025), director Lee Yu-jin wanted to start right there — with what she calls an “imperfect hero” charging toward a “too much” happy ending. Middle-aged queer hero Lee began with a simple desire: make a queer comedy with a happy ending. Out of that goal, the idea of self-admitted “kkondae lesbian,” Manok, took shape. “…