Like a Virgin (film)

Like a Virgin
Like a Virgin
Korean name
Hangul	천하장사 마돈나
Hanja	天下壯士 마돈나
Revised Romanization	Cheonhajangsa Madonna
McCune–Reischauer	Ch'ŏnhachangsa Madonna
Directed by	Lee Hae-jun; Lee Hae-young
Written by	Lee Hae-jun; Lee Hae-young
Produced by	Cha Seung-jae; Kim Mi-hee; Kim Moo-ryoung; Im Choong-ryul; Yun Sang-oh
Starring	Ryu Deok-hwan; Baek Yoon-sik; Lee Eon; Lee Sang-ah; Kim Yoon-seok
Cinematography	Jo Yong-gyu
Edited by	Nam Na-yeong
Music by	Kim Hong-jib
Distributed by	CJ Entertainment
Release date	31 August 2006;
Running time	116 minutes
Country	South Korea
Language	Korean
Budget	US$2.5 million
Box office	US$3,547,188

Like a Virgin (Korean: 천하장사 마돈나; RR: Cheonhajangsa Madonna; literally Strong Man Under Heaven Madonna) is a 2006 South Korean comedy-drama film written and directed by Lee Hae-jun and Lee Hae-young.^[2]^[3] Ryu Deok-hwan stars in the lead role as transgender teenager Oh Dong-ku, and won several domestic awards for his performance, as well as a nomination for the Asia Pacific Screen Award Best Performance by an Actor.^[4] The film's English title is a reference to a Madonna song of the same name.

Plot

Chubby high school student and Madonna-devotee Oh Dong-ku is a trans woman living with her abusive, alcoholic father. Dong-ku works part-time to save money for the sex reassignment surgery she craves. Despite being told that she has the perfect physique for ssireum, Dong-ku has no interest in taking up sports—but when she finds out about an upcoming ssireum tournament with a large cash prize going to the winner, she changes her mind and signs up for the team.

Cast

Ryu Deok-hwan as Oh Dong-ku
Baek Yoon-sik as Coach
Lee Sang-ah as Dong-ku's mother
Lee Eon as Park Joon-woo
Moon Se-yun as Song Young-bae (Big guy 1)
Kim Yong-hoon as Big guy 2
Yoon Won-seok as Big guy 3
Park Young-seo as Jong-man
Tsuyoshi Kusanagi as Japanese teacher
Kim Yoon-seok as Dong-ku's father
Kim Kyeong-ik as Jin-chul
Oh Yoon-hong as Company president's wife
Choi Jung-woo as Company president
Kwak Min-seok as Priest
Kim Do-yeon as Large female employee
Kim Won-sik as Oh Dong-chul
Kwon Oh-jin as Worker
Jang Nam-yeol as Homeroom teacher
Lee Jae-gu as Employee at labor office
Kim Tae-joon as Choir member at concert hall
Kwon Jae-won as Lawyer

Awards and nominations

Year	Award	Category	Recipient	Result
2006	7th Busan Film Critics Awards	Best New Director	Lee Hae-jun, Lee Hae-young	Won
	7th Busan Film Critics Awards	Best New Actor	Ryu Deok-hwan	Won
	27th Blue Dragon Film Awards^[5]	Best New Director	Lee Hae-jun, Lee Hae-young	Won
		Best New Actor	Ryu Deok-hwan	Won
		Best Screenplay	Lee Hae-jun, Lee Hae-young	Won
	5th Korean Film Awards	Best Actor	Ryu Deok-hwan	Nominated
		Best New Director	Lee Hae-jun, Lee Hae-young	Won
		Best New Actor	Moon Se-yun	Nominated
		Best Screenplay	Lee Hae-jun, Lee Hae-young	Nominated
	9th Director's Cut Awards	Best New Actor	Ryu Deok-hwan	Won
2007	4th Max Movie Awards	Best New Actor	Ryu Deok-hwan	Won
	20th Singapore International Film Festival^[6]	NETPAC Award	Like a Virgin	Won
	43rd Baeksang Arts Awards^[7]	Best New Director	Lee Hae-jun, Lee Hae-young	Nominated
		Best New Actor	Ryu Deok-hwan	Nominated
		Best Screenplay	Lee Hae-jun, Lee Hae-young	Won
	11th Fantasia International Film Festival^[8]	Best Actor	Ryu Deok-hwan	Won
	44th Grand Bell Awards^[9]	Best New Actor	Ryu Deok-hwan	Won
	44th Grand Bell Awards^[9]	Best Screenplay	Lee Hae-jun, Lee Hae-young	Nominated
	1st Korea Movie Star Awards	Best Young Star	Ryu Deok-hwan	Won
	1st Asia Pacific Screen Awards	Best Actor	Ryu Deok-hwan	Nominated

References

^ "Cheonhajangsa Madonna (Like a Virgin)". Box Office Mojo. Retrieved 2012-11-19.
^ Lee Min-a, Sylvia Kim (21 August 2006). "Tender wrestler fights for a sex change in film". Korea JoongAng Daily. Archived from the original on January 27, 2013. Retrieved 2012-11-19.
^ Park, Soo-mee (2 January 2007). "Sad situation makes an uplifting tale". Korea JoongAng Daily. Archived from the original on January 27, 2013. Retrieved 2012-11-19.
^ "Ryu: 'No answer to understanding how women think'". Korea JoongAng Daily. 21 August 2006. Archived from the original on 15 July 2012. Retrieved 2012-11-19.
^ D'sa, Nigel (21 December 2006). "BONG's Host Takes Top Prize at Blue Dragon". Korean Film Biz Zone. Retrieved 2014-10-12.
^ Yi, Chang-ho (9 May 2007). "HAN Hyo-ju and Like a Virgin Win at Singapore Fest". Korean Film Biz Zone. Retrieved 2014-10-12.
^ "43rd Baeksang Arts Awards". Twitch Film. 27 April 2007. Archived from the original on 19 October 2014. Retrieved 2014-10-12.
^ "Fantasia 2007 Prizes Announced". Fantasia International Film Festival. 25 July 2007. Archived from the original on 2007-05-12. Retrieved 2014-10-12.
^ "4th Grand Bell Awards: Family Ties Wins Best Film". Twitch Film. 9 June 2007. Archived from the original on 4 March 2016. Retrieved 2014-10-12.

External links

Like a Virgin at the Korean Movie Database (in Korean)
Like a Virgin at IMDb
Like a Virgin at HanCinema

[1] "Cheonhajangsa Madonna (Like a Virgin)". Box Office Mojo. Retrieved 2012-11-19.

[2] Lee Min-a, Sylvia Kim (21 August 2006). "Tender wrestler fights for a sex change in film". Korea JoongAng Daily. Archived from the original on January 27, 2013. Retrieved 2012-11-19.

[3] Park, Soo-mee (2 January 2007). "Sad situation makes an uplifting tale". Korea JoongAng Daily. Archived from the original on January 27, 2013. Retrieved 2012-11-19.

[4] "Ryu: 'No answer to understanding how women think'". Korea JoongAng Daily. 21 August 2006. Archived from the original on 15 July 2012. Retrieved 2012-11-19.

[5] D'sa, Nigel (21 December 2006). "BONG's Host Takes Top Prize at Blue Dragon". Korean Film Biz Zone. Retrieved 2014-10-12.

[6] Yi, Chang-ho (9 May 2007). "HAN Hyo-ju and Like a Virgin Win at Singapore Fest". Korean Film Biz Zone. Retrieved 2014-10-12.

[7] "43rd Baeksang Arts Awards". Twitch Film. 27 April 2007. Archived from the original on 19 October 2014. Retrieved 2014-10-12.

[8] "Fantasia 2007 Prizes Announced". Fantasia International Film Festival. 25 July 2007. Archived from the original on 2007-05-12. Retrieved 2014-10-12.

[9] "4th Grand Bell Awards: Family Ties Wins Best Film". Twitch Film. 9 June 2007. Archived from the original on 4 March 2016. Retrieved 2014-10-12.

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