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The Handmaiden

The Handmaiden (2016)

October. 21,2016
|
8.1
|
R
| Drama Thriller Romance

In 1930s Korea, a swindler and a young woman pose as a Japanese count and a handmaiden to seduce a Japanese heiress and steal her fortune.

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Reviews

Hellen
2016/10/21

I like the storyline of this show,it attract me so much

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BootDigest
2016/10/22

Such a frustrating disappointment

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Rosie Searle
2016/10/23

It's the kind of movie you'll want to see a second time with someone who hasn't seen it yet, to remember what it was like to watch it for the first time.

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Marva
2016/10/24

It is an exhilarating, distressing, funny and profound film, with one of the more memorable film scores in years,

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TheNabOwnzz
2016/10/25

Chan-wook Park used to be such a great director, being the man behind the success of the fantastic 'Revenge trilogy' and most notably Oldboy (2003) as his ultimate masterpiece. Unfortunately The Handmaiden is not a masterpiece, just a bunch of blatant in your face social commentary.The problem lies not in the cinematography, which is top notch the entire film. It is visually beautiful, with great use of color and indoor cultural Asian scenery, and some fantastic costume design. The music is also a very good emotional piece as is usual in a Park film. However, the best parts end here. You could say that the complex multi layered non linear storyline is well structured narrative, but i disagree. It basically shows the same events two times from different angles and with a couple of scenes added to it that would otherwise have been a spoiler. The story is constantly twisting because of things that we couldn't see but there is not an ounce of refinement in it. ( That person wants to sell that one out for their own gain, now another person wants to sell that one out for their own gain, now two persons pair against another to sell that one out for their own gain ). This entire immoral construct never ends as there is little to none character development.All our four main characters are rotten to the core and this never changes throughout the film, yet somehow Park decides the two women are the good ones and the two guys are the bad ones? Such an incredibly lazy political message which is something that i would never have suspected from an artist such as Park, but it happened. The 'Count' ends up being the fall guy, for being dumb enough to not realize he is being deceived, which is hardly a surprise since men do not seem to realize anything at all in this film. The uncle is just a disgusting sadistic psychopath who also sees his downfall because of his own plain stupidity. The two women are not very likeable either, albeit in a more subtle way since their unlikeable nature is due to the fact that they only seem to care about money but all the while not showing their sadistic sides. The way the final events unfold is not a very subtle way of creating a kind of feministic statement that they cannot be pushed around by men.The erotic part of this film is absolutely utterly useless. There are numerous graphic sex scenes between the two women which do not enhance anything in this pretentious story but only seem to serve as a bunch of pornographic material good enough to get into the minds of those feeble minded and blind enough to like this film. Disgusting sexually oriented pictures and disgusting dialogue are constantly thrown at the viewer in order to gain the thumbs up only because of this pathetic form of pornographic flattery. It is a motion picture, which is supposed to be an artform, yet this is a mere disguise for the mindless pornographic nature of this film. I am fortunate enough to have a brain smart enough to not take the bait.It sure is pretty to look at, and might entertain those who want to see female nudity and simulated sex scenes between females, but for those smarter among us, this really is a poor excuse for a motion picture that is supposed to open our minds or make us better understand the human condition.

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devylon-63935
2016/10/26

Very shallow characters that arent fleshed out in any way, twists just for the sake of having twists and characters as flat as a piece of paper really didn't help selling the film for me. The cinematography on the other hand is really good and the storyline, despite being confusing is actually kind of well executed, which means the way in which the movie is divided into acts supported the storytelling. I normally don't have a problem with sex scenes in a movie but in this, i felt as if they did not have any real purpose other than to "please" the audience (they defenitly weren't left in for storytelling purpose). Overall a really average movie that looked good and had kind of an interesting plot that led to nothing and was really flat in some parts.

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hunter-friesen
2016/10/27

Park Chan-wook is a master of blending multiple themes in his films. His newest film, The Handmaiden, further proves his mastery of balancing and wrapping every element together in an enjoyable way. The Handmaiden is many things at once; sexual, thrilling, violent, and dramatic. Brilliant directing along with excellent performances make this one of the best films in recent memory. The film is set in Japanese occupied Korea during the 1930s. Sook-He is a poor Korean nursing girl that must use her skills as a pickpocket to get by. Her con artist skills get her involved in a plot by Count Fujiwara (a fake persona used by a fellow poor Korean con artist) to steal the fortune from a rich Japanese book collector by marrying his naive niece. Sook-He is sent to the book collector's vast estate as a handmaiden for the niece, Lady Hideko, who is also the inheritor of the fortune. At first, Sook-He and the Hideko don't get along, but after some time they begin to get closer and more intimate. A romance and alliance forms, one that changes Sook-He's original plan. The Count soon arrives and immediately tries to win over Hideko. From this point, the film becomes a twisted game of cat and mouse between the four main characters. You never know who's on what side and who's conning who.Chan-wook presents the film in three equal chapters. Each part focuses on a central character from their point of view. The first follows Sook-He and Lady Hideko and how they initially act around each other. The second goes back in time to reveal Hideko's childhood and how it was devilishly mangled by her uncle. The third follows the Count and Hideko as they play a game of cat and mouse with each other.Each chapter intersects with another, creating a timeline where the sequence of events is presented out of order. Actions at the beginning of the film are revisited later at different angles and from different points of view, which reveal new information that is key to the structuring of the plot. This technique beautifully creates characters and events that complex and memorable. Layers upon layers of storytelling are given to us through different mediums. It keeps thing fresh as we are constantly piecing the timeline in our heads. One could knock Chan-wook for his overuse of gratuitous sex in a few scenes. The romance between Sook-He and Hideko results in intercourse, which ultimately lasts close to ten minutes and ends up feeling like softcore porn. However, the actual sequence is integral to the main story and is done with such care that it barely hinders the overall quality.Chan-wook is known for his outlandish films that are filled with deep storytelling and rich visuals. Here he has outdone himself as the plot gets more interesting as time passes and the grandiose visuals are candy to the eyes. He uses the Korean and Japanese languages as an element of his story as each brings its own symbolism and meaning. Characters flip between languages constantly and each shift is for a specific purpose. As we are the watching the film, we get a sense that the main theme revolves around female empowerment. At the start of the film, both Sook-He and Hideko are servants under powerful men. Their similar circumstances lead them to form their own destiny together, one that is without a master.The cinematography is gorgeous as we are treated to some of the most elaborate and pleasing shots in recent memory. Chung Chung-hoon uses his full arsenal to create a brilliant sense of atmosphere inside the convoluted mansion. Zoom, pan, and crane shots are used with a clear purpose. They frame the scenes perfectly, giving each actor the right amount of space for their performance. The acting, like the rest of the film, is wonderfully done. The standout performance comes from Kim Min-Hie as Lady Hideko. Her ability to immediately switch from a naive schoolgirl to a vengeful enchantress creates an aura of mystery around her. Kim Tae-Ri as the young Sook-He is amazing as well. She brings a sense of youth and acts as our guide for most of the film. We see most things through her eyes and her reactions and facial expressions are tied to ours as well. Finally, Ha Jung-woo as the Count and Cho Jin-woong as the uncle are a creepy pair of power-hungry men. Their methods may differ, but their results are the same. Jung-woo is confident and cool while Jin-woong is cold and menacing. Both share some great scenes with the lead women and have great chemistry.The Handmaiden is a film that carries multiple themes and things it's trying to do. It exceeds in every area possible, keeping right on track as Chan-wook delivers a story that is both challenging and pleasing. The Handmaiden is n feat in cinema that should be seen by all who want to witness a master at his best.

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Jackson Booth-Millard
2016/10/28

I was told about this South Korean film, that it was full a risqué material, and then it got some nominations during Awards Season, so I was looking forward to giving it a go, directed by Park Chan-wook (Oldboy, Stoker). Basically set in the 1930s, in Korea during the Japanese occupation, beautiful and fragile Japanese heiress Lady Hideko (Min-hee Kim), lives with her sadistic and despotic uncle Kouzuki (Jin-woong Jo). Uncle Kouzuki is an intellectual and an avid collector of rare erotic literature, he has raised Lady Hideko since the tender age of five, he plans to marry her for her riches. As a result, Lady Hideko has been confined in a large dreary and sun-deprived countryside estate, she is like a caged bird. She also seems to be an easy target for forger and outright con artist Count Fujiwara (Jung-woo Ha), who hires dexterous young pickpocket Sook-hee (Tae-ri Kim) to act as the new handmaiden, as part of the secret plot to defraud her. The Count needs Sook-hee to persuade the unaware noblewoman to marry him, and when the elaborate scam is successful, he will ruthlessly and without any remorse whatsoever, he will send her to an asylum. The con was proceeding according to plan, but Lady Hideko's unparalleled beauty with her long raven hair, luscious scarlet lips and velvety skin is no match for them. The scheme is doomed to fail when Lady Hideko and Sook-hee discover unexpected emotions and a romance develops, and in the end Count Fujiwara realises what's going on, he uses cigarettes laced with mercury to poison Kouzuki, the two women celebrate their freedom, making love. Also starring Hae-sook Kim as Miss Sasaki and So-ri Moon as Aunt of Lady Hideko. The leading actresses give good performances as the heiress and the young swindler who become believable lesbian lovers, and the actor playing the monstrous uncle is good, obviously having to read subtitles it was not easy to concentrate, but I got the general gist. The story was originally based on a book set in Victorian Britain, the new setting is put to good use, the costumes and scenery are marvellous to look at, the psychological thriller style and macabre stuff is interesting, and the love story and sexual scenes are beautifully done, all in all it is an intriguing and worthwhile erotic drama. It won the BAFTA for Best Film Not in the English Language. Good!

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