Myung is a transgender woman and dancer living in Seoul, attempting to finance the cost of gender-affirming surgeries from prize money winnings at Waacking competitions – a form of vogueing.

But, with sudden news of her estranged father’s death, she is cautiously drawn back to her rural home town to perform the necessary memorial rites – a strictly gendered Sogo drum dance. As pressure mounts to conform with the conditions laid out by her father’s will, and traditional attitudes of the community, Myung must learn to confront the past whilst staying true to herself.

An incendiary and dynamic South Korean drama of family, love, and embodying one’s truest colour, this is a joyous, celebratory (re)discovering of the self.

Byun Sung-bin’s debut feature abounds with compassion and a fiery creativity that elevates Peafowl from your typical transition narrative. One not painted in dull black and white strokes, but a fully evocative spectrum of colour.

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