Like a Virgin (Korean천하장사 마돈나; RRCheonhajangsa 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.

Like a Virgin
Korean name
Hangul
천하장사 마돈나
Hanja
마돈나
Revised RomanizationCheonhajangsa Madonna
McCune–ReischauerCh'ŏnhachangsa Madonna
Directed byLee Hae-jun
Lee Hae-young
Written byLee Hae-jun
Lee Hae-young
Produced byCha Seung-jae
Kim Mi-hee
Kim Moo-ryoung
Im Choong-ryul
Yun Sang-oh
StarringRyu Deok-hwan
Baek Yoon-sik
Lee Eon
Lee Sang-ah
Kim Yoon-seok
CinematographyJo Yong-gyu
Edited byNam Na-yeong
Music byKim Hong-jib
Distributed byCJ Entertainment
Release date
  • 31 August 2006 (2006-08-31)
Running time
116 minutes
CountrySouth Korea
LanguageKorean
BudgetUS$2.5 million
Box officeUS$3,547,188[1]

Plot

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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

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  • 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

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Year Award Category Recipient Result
2006 7th Busan Film Critics Awards Best New Director Lee Hae-jun, Lee Hae-young Won
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
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

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  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.{{cite web}}: CS1 maint: unfit URL (link)
  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.{{cite web}}: CS1 maint: unfit URL (link)
  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.{{cite web}}: CS1 maint: unfit URL (link)
  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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