Leave it to writer/director Park Chan-wook to not leave any stone unturned in his erotically-charged and stylish drama The Handmaiden. We have mystery, betrayal, an explicit love affair, and a healthy dose of cringe-worthy violence and unreliable narrators all conveniently tucked inside a beautifully composed costume drama set in 1930s Korea, where a manipulative con man sets in motion his most complicated ruse to date.
Told as a triptych, where three segments are referenced as "books", The Handmaiden gives us Japanese con man Count Fujiwara (Ha Jung-woo). He hires Sook-Hee (Kim Tae-ri), a pickpocket who has learned her tricks from "The Count" from a young age. She is tasked with working as a maid to infiltrate the world of the wealthy Hideko (Kim Min-hee), who lives under the watch of her uncle Kouzuki (Cho Jin-woong). The Count hopes Sook-Hee can gain him access to Hideko, where the Count can sweep her off her feet, marry her, prove she is crazy, and then essentially inherit all of her wealth for himself. And while that seems simple enough, we learn that the Count is not Japanese at all, he 's a Korean thief, and has nothing regal about him. Park-wook 's film and screenplay, co-written with first-time scripter Chung Seo-kyong, plays with structure and convention, loose and fast at times, showing us that people and situations are not always what they appear to be. Regardless of who is trying to tell us the story, a different narrator assumes the voiceover for each of the "books", something none of the narrators could have anticipated is that Sook-Hee and Hideko would fall madly in love with one another. And that, in and of itself, throws all these best-laid plans of a false "Count" completely up in the air. The Handmaiden is an intoxicating film for much of its 145-minute running time. Chan-wook paces his film just quickly enough to keep us watching, analyzing, and pondering right along with the characters on screen. Some may find this slow, and it might be a valid criticism here and there, but there is so much to take in with regard to the atmosphere he creates, you can easily get lost in the gorgeous and curious vision of cinematographer Chung Chung-hoon. Much of the film …show more content…
Loyalties and bonds are certainly tested. Along the way, odd moments of humor guide us, with dalliances of misogyny, male-driven tradition and lecherous behavior all competing with and against one another. Cleverly written, the characters seem to wriggle out from under our thumbs just when we think we have them figured out. This leaves us engaged, wondering about motivations, hanging on actions and words. Morality always seems to be just out of reach in The Handmaiden and Park-wook 's indulgences as a storyteller keep those themes slightly blurred from our periphery.
Personally, some time could have been shaved off the final product for better efficiency, and reportedly a version that runs a half hour longer is potentially coming as a Director 's Cut. In this format, at 145 minutes, The Handmaiden is distinctive, clever, unique, mysterious, sensual, imperfect, but densely constructed. Just note that you will need to pay a fair amount of attention as these "books" contain narrators going on diversions and telling sub-stories, leaving us to play along in deciphering what matters and what may be there to throw us
Told as a triptych, where three segments are referenced as "books", The Handmaiden gives us Japanese con man Count Fujiwara (Ha Jung-woo). He hires Sook-Hee (Kim Tae-ri), a pickpocket who has learned her tricks from "The Count" from a young age. She is tasked with working as a maid to infiltrate the world of the wealthy Hideko (Kim Min-hee), who lives under the watch of her uncle Kouzuki (Cho Jin-woong). The Count hopes Sook-Hee can gain him access to Hideko, where the Count can sweep her off her feet, marry her, prove she is crazy, and then essentially inherit all of her wealth for himself. And while that seems simple enough, we learn that the Count is not Japanese at all, he 's a Korean thief, and has nothing regal about him. Park-wook 's film and screenplay, co-written with first-time scripter Chung Seo-kyong, plays with structure and convention, loose and fast at times, showing us that people and situations are not always what they appear to be. Regardless of who is trying to tell us the story, a different narrator assumes the voiceover for each of the "books", something none of the narrators could have anticipated is that Sook-Hee and Hideko would fall madly in love with one another. And that, in and of itself, throws all these best-laid plans of a false "Count" completely up in the air. The Handmaiden is an intoxicating film for much of its 145-minute running time. Chan-wook paces his film just quickly enough to keep us watching, analyzing, and pondering right along with the characters on screen. Some may find this slow, and it might be a valid criticism here and there, but there is so much to take in with regard to the atmosphere he creates, you can easily get lost in the gorgeous and curious vision of cinematographer Chung Chung-hoon. Much of the film …show more content…
Loyalties and bonds are certainly tested. Along the way, odd moments of humor guide us, with dalliances of misogyny, male-driven tradition and lecherous behavior all competing with and against one another. Cleverly written, the characters seem to wriggle out from under our thumbs just when we think we have them figured out. This leaves us engaged, wondering about motivations, hanging on actions and words. Morality always seems to be just out of reach in The Handmaiden and Park-wook 's indulgences as a storyteller keep those themes slightly blurred from our periphery.
Personally, some time could have been shaved off the final product for better efficiency, and reportedly a version that runs a half hour longer is potentially coming as a Director 's Cut. In this format, at 145 minutes, The Handmaiden is distinctive, clever, unique, mysterious, sensual, imperfect, but densely constructed. Just note that you will need to pay a fair amount of attention as these "books" contain narrators going on diversions and telling sub-stories, leaving us to play along in deciphering what matters and what may be there to throw us