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 …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 …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