The Handmaiden
Composite Score: 85.8
Starring: Kim Min-hee, Ha Jung-woo, Cho Jin-woong, Moon So-ri, Kim Tae-ri, Lee Yong-nyeo, Yoo Min-chae, Lee Dong-hwi, and Kim Hae-sook
Director: Park Chan-wook
Writers: Chung Seo-kyung and Park Chan-wook
Genres: Drama, Romance, Thriller, LGBTQ+
MPAA Rating: Not Rated
Box Office: $37.85 million worldwide
Why should you Watch This Film?
The Handmaiden is Park Chan-wook’s film adaptation of Sarah Waters’s novel Fingersmith about a woman who goes to work as a maid to a noblewoman in Japanese-occupied Korea with the goal of defrauding her of her inheritance. The film stars Kim Tae-ri as the maid Nam Sook-hee, Kim Min-hee as the lady Izumi Hideko, Ha Jung-woo as the dubious Count Fujiwara who is working with Sook-hee, and Cho Jin-woong as Hideko’s lecherous Uncle Kouzuki. The interweaving of Sook-hee’s story of deception with Hideko’s of seeking escape morphs into a romantic thriller that pits both girls against the greedy, immoral men who seek to limit their place in the world. The film competed for the Palme d’Or at the Cannes Film Festival and has received much critical acclaim. It is considered by many to be one of Park’s best films, one of the best films of Korean cinema, and of the 2010s overall.
Why shouldn’t you Watch This Film?
Both the novel from which it draws inspiration and the film itself come across as smut with a plot. The Handmaiden is full of rich characters, excellent visuals, a moving score, quality acting, and compelling writing and plot twists… oh and also copious sexual situations that may or may not be for every member of the audience. While it’s great to get lesbian romances to the screen and to celebrate stories of (mostly) healthy sexual awakenings, I don’t know that we necessarily need the extensive sex scenes that are contained in this particular film. It does a solid job of presenting some of the more realistic interactions of sex, not presenting any of those scenes just to have them happen. There’s just a couple of moments that feel like they go on longer than necessary, in my opinion. This is a film about sex, sexuality, gender, and gender roles, so the depictions of sex and sexual themes are unavoidable. For me, I just think that they could have been cut down by about 30-to-40 seconds and still been as effective in communicating the intimacy, awkwardness, love, and passion (or lack thereof, depending on the scene) within the film.
So wait, why should you Watch This Film?
As I mentioned at the start of the above statement, this is a film that sees Park Chan-wook at the height of his filmmaking capabilities. Any time he gets to deliver a plot twist or portray a morally gray protagonist fighting against some truly reprehensible antagonists (often as a representation of societal hurdles or something similar), he’s going to give you something fantastic, and this is one of his best because he’s got two protagonists and at least that many plot twists to work with. On top of that, the film’s production design, presenting a truly gorgeous story within the setting of an occupied Korea and industrial-era Japan. The set designs, the costumes, the cinematography, and the score all work wonders in creating an atmosphere that sets up for our Victorian-esque romance between our two leads.
In turn, Kim Min-hee, Kim Tae-ri, and Ha Jung-woo all give the exact performances that the film needs to make its complex story work and keep the audience guessing. Ha plays Count Fujiwara with that almost theatrical level of emotive brazenness that makes him an ideal villain for the setting and the story, running as a foil to both Sook-hee and Hideko in their reservedness and cunning. Kim Tae-ri’s Sook-hee plays her dual role well, fitting as both believable street scamp and capable lady’s maid in equal parts, getting the audience to root for her through her beautiful portrayal of longing, loathing, and desperation. In truth though, it’s Kim Min-hee’s performance as the noble Hideko that steals the show time and again. Her ability to steal the heart of basically every other character in the film makes perfect sense thanks to a performance that levels confidence masked by helplessness and capability covered by austerity into something truly mesmerizing by the time it’s all said and done.
Park Chan-wook’s masterpiece of a film in The Handmaiden is elevated to that status by its brilliantly engaging story, beautifully crafted production, and compellingly portrayed leading trio of characters, earning it a spot among the greats. While certain aspects of its sexuality might be a bit gratuitous, the overall film delivers a deeply engaging romantic drama about overcoming and outwitting the patriarchal restrictions and those who wield them. You can currently stream this film for free on Amazon Prime Video if you’d like to check it out in the near future.
