Review of The Handmaiden (2016) by Peter F — 22 Oct 2016
Park Chan-wook's latest is possibly his most ambitious work yet, and it displays an elegance to his craft that he previously only hinted at. Loosely adapting Sarah Waters' novel Fingersmith, Handmaiden transports the action from Victorian England to 1930s Korea, and the movie covers considerable ground in its two-and-a-half hour running time, and Chan-wook also took a particularly risky move with the narrative.
The film is told in a very non-linear fashion (it's an understatement to call it Tarantino-esque), that could have made for a rather muddled experience. Fortunately though, it mostly pays off (asides for a first-act that's fairly confusing), as the film's story is beautifully told, and the twists are always satisfying.
Chan-wook's penchant for macabre imagery is more present than ever here too, with plenty of harsh scenes, but he also displays a passion for his female characters here that's in stark contrast to the macho-leanings of some of his earlier films.
Gracefully erotic and often very funny too (sometimes in the most twisted way), so The Handmaiden is easily the most crowd-pleasing of Chan-wook's movies.
This review of The Handmaiden (2016) was written by Peter F on 22 Oct 2016.
The Handmaiden has generally received very positive reviews.
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