SuppliedThe Handmaiden
Directed by Park Chan-wook
Starring Kim Min-hee, Ha Jung-woo, and Kim Tae-ri.
Korean/ Japanese with English subtitles
Opening October 28
Equal parts gorgeous and bizarre, The Handmaiden is another stylishly provocative entry into the filmography of acclaimed South Korean writer-director Park Chan-wook. While the film’s twisting tale of deception may be characteristic of his other work, The Handmaiden still packs plenty of unpredictable punches — at times evoking stronger comparisons to Fifty Shades of Grey than Park’s infamous Oldboy.
In The Handmaiden, Park re-imagines the Victorian England-set novel, Fingersmith, in 1930s Japan-occupied Korea, telling the story of a Korean thief-cum-maid (Kim Tae-ri’s Sookee), her desperate co-conspirator (Ha Jung-woo’s Fujiwara), and a lonely Japanese aristocrat whom the former set out to swindle (Kim Min-hee’s Lady Hideko). Throw into the mix a large family inheritance, a depraved, book-collecting uncle, an isolated, colonial mansion, and a handful of deeply guarded secrets, and you get a three-part story which combines historical drama, morbid humour, thrilling twists, and above all, unapologetically passionate romance.
On a purely technical basis, The Handmaiden is a wonder. The cinematography, framing of each shot, and the accompanying soundtrack are delicate but extraordinarily effective at magnifying the slightest sensations felt by the characters on screen. Insatiable lust, vile hatred, and quivering pleasure are all depicted in the finest of details, and in a way only made possible under the masterful and precise care of Park and cinematographer Chung Chung-hoon — who’d of thought a close up of an extended tongue could linger in your loins well past the movie’s 145 minute runtime?
However, the powerful emotions on display can only be brought to life because of the admirable performing chops of the main actors. As the film takes place through three different perspectives (switching between characters for each of its three parts), you are re-introduced and re-invested in each character several times, and for different reasons. The ability to convincingly transition the audience from complete sympathy, to unwavering anger, and back again, in regards to their characters, is a testament to the actors’ range and skills.
Now, let’s talk about sex. The Handmaiden is referred to as an “erotic psychological thriller” for good reason — the film contains prolonged and vivid sex sequences, with depictions of bodily twists and turns rivaling those of the plot itself. The film and Park are most comfortable when the audience is not (judging by the anxious rustling in seats as the scenes played out), finding unbelievable beauty and expression in the palm-sweat inducing, hot-under-the-collar moments of carnality throughout the film. Some might see pornography, but in my mind, the only thing pornographic is the pleasure gained from watching Park pull it all off (pun very much intended).
It may run a little long, lingering excessively here-and-there on certain moments (and repeated moments) but for fans of the bizarro, what the fuck, jaw-falling-from-your-face style that is uniquely Park Chan-wook, The Handmaiden is a must see — few others could pull as many laughs and heart strings simultaneously from a scene involving a hanging. For fans of well-shot, precisely-directed, dramatic, tense, thrilling, steamy, and beautiful cinema, The Handmaiden just might be an unpredicted favourite for you too.
The Handmaiden opens theatrically on October 28th.
