The Handmaiden

The Handmaiden is at once a superlative thriller and a deeply erotic character study, but it’s the intelligence, mordant wit and depth of characterisation that are the real turn-ons.

Thoroughly entertaining, startling and highly erotic film.

A rebus, a romance, a gothic thriller and a woozy comedy, The Handmaiden is finally and most significantly a liberation story.

An intensely pleasurable, lavishly shot dessert tray of utter hokum, The Handmaiden is a prime example of why we should be glad that there’s someone out there still invested in the overwrought Gothic melodrama, and that that person is Park Chan-wook.

Park has conjured up not only his smartest but also his most stirring film to date. And the least icky.

With The Handmaiden, Park Chan-wook has made a gigantic leap as an artist, but he retreats to lurid cartoonishness just as he’s earned your trust.

It’s hard to pinpoint the precise moment at which The Handmaiden, Park Chan-wook’s deviously kinky period thriller, shifts from being a lascivious slice of art-house delirium to a gruelling, dislikable contraption which meretriciously sells out its source material. But that’s what happens.

A beautifully crafted movie that explores the themes of love, betrayal, and revenge. It’s a movie that will keep you on the edge of your seat from start to finish. The film is a must-see for anyone who loves great storytelling.

Park Chan-wook delivers a solid — albeit occasionally indulgent — crime thriller, nailing the twists and turns with skill and framing it all with a deft hand. Call me puritan all you want, I just found this to be a bit *too* horny at times. Obviously some of the ideas at hand are purposefully perverse and controversial, but with the way some scenes and shots lingered, I couldn't help but feel a bit uncomfortable by things. Make no mistake, this isn't porn or anything. I just think that certain ideas behind certain scenes could have been streamlined. That aside however, I had a good time with this. The narrative is exquisitely dark, yet tender and well-constructed. You gotta love double-crosses that are followed swiftly by a double-double cross. Again, solid stuff overall. Just not sure I'd ever be able to recommend this to my parents without blushing.

I did not find it as good as the score here did. That aside, it was a decent film. In terms of sensuality, I was a bit disappointed. It was all I could hear about the film, and how it would be tense, and when the tooth scene came up so quickly and intensely, I was intrigued for the rest of the movie. But it let up, and there wasn't much sensuality that was as engaging aside from the first bed scene. I believe that the reception of the movie as extremely sexy perhaps has more to do with the lesbian aspect of the film as opposed to the actual sensual aspect. And perhaps that also has to do with lesbianism in South Korea, though I don't know much on the topic. Something disappointing as well was that the twists in the plot became somewhat predictable. The first one was surprising, though not in a way that sticks with the viewer. I think that they shot the scenes with different takes to change subtly change the interactions of the characters across the parts, like in American Psycho with Bale and Dafoe, but it's only my impression, I'm not sure. All in all, a pretty decent movie.

Bad movie. The story is really bad, visual is bad, and the voice is also bad

The decision to watch this movie was instant and irreversible as soon as I read its description. After all, I immediately realized that this is a remake of Velvet Fingers, which I liked so much earlier. I'm not against remakes, it's always interesting how a familiar story will be shown from the other side. But, alas, the fact that I was familiar with the original did not play into the hands of this film. And this is not only because the main plot twist did not come as a surprise to me. The director simply did not reveal the characters enough to make the motivation for their actions look compelling enough. As a result, their reaction to what is happening in places looks too affected. The picture is certainly very beautiful, but it does not cover the rest of the cons. Park Chan-wook definitely went too far with erotica, turning into light pornography, that you involuntarily begin to be embarrassed by what is happening on the screen - this transition is so swift. It would seem that the film should talk about love, how pure and beautiful it is, that it can literally save a person. And so it would be, but the emphasis on sexuality and inappropriate humor does not make the right impression. As a result, there is no sympathy for the difficult fate of the main characters, and it is almost a pity for a simple swindler. England - Korea 1:0.