Review of The Handmaiden (2016) by Akash S — 20 Dec 2016

[SPOILERS AHEAD].

This film felt like the Japanese version of "Pulp Fiction"; a non-chronological order story which becomes better the more you watch the film. What truly makes this film stand out above the rest of the films I've watched this year, however, are the characters themselves and their development throughout the film.

To begin, lets go over what I found to be the best parts of this film; the story. It starts off rather simply with a girl working undercover as a handmaiden in order for a con-man to marry an aristocrat's daughter. Yet as the film progresses it becomes so much more, and the characters truly come to life. I also loved how this film told its story in a non-chronological order according to the perspectives of individual characters, then blends them well by the end.

The film explores the stereotypes of men and women; particularly how the women are seen and used more as tools by the men who use them to do their own bidding. The film really does put men in a bad light throughout the film, mostly in terms of their sexuality and how they choose to express it, and for this reason I found the film to be a little awkward and offensive. But to be honest the film explores a dark part of humanity which very few filmmakers dare to explore and exhibit on film, and for that I commend director Park for making this film the way he did.

What I did not enjoy about this film are the two explicit pornographic scenes. The story could have been a lot better if they had simply implied that those events occurred rather than exhibiting them on-screen like they handled the other sex scenes. Its kind of like the Hitchcock rule; what you don't see is the most impacting.

Aside from that, the only other negative of this film would be the ending itself. Once again it has to do with the director choosing what to show and what not to show, and he definitely showed way too much with the ending.

In conclusion, "The Handmaiden" is by far one of the best films I have seen this year and does an incredible job developing the story, characters and the theme of male sexuality and female oppression. Yet it truly could have been better if the director was more implicit about the subject material he tackled and didn't put men in a "purely evil" darkness and women in a "purely good" light.

7.5/10.