Review of The Handmaiden (2016) by Tor M — 19 Dec 2018
In these parts of the world, I guess Chan-wook Park is most known for "Oldboy". I've seen it, way back, and remember it as good but a bit overrated.
Here he is back with something as boring as a drama set back in the 1930's Asia. Some count is hiring a new handmaiden to a Japanese heiress. We get to know people and a place where there is a lot of weird stuff going on.
In one of the rooms there is an old guy writing dirty books. There heiress is acting weird and konds of fall for her new handmaiden, some lesbian action for you there, and the count himself is stricked and makes a lot of weird desicions.
The plot evolves for it's really long playtime as I saw the extended version that is about 160 minutes long. There is more to it. These people are trying to pull tricks on one another. It's also divided into three parts, just to present the story in layers and making it a bit easier for you to hang on too. This is complex, this is smart, this is brilliant storytelling.
It's amazingly shot. It looks really good and the movement of the camera is very, very smooth. Stills seem amazing and the movie even better. Another great thing is the fantastic acting, with the pretty newcomer Tae-ri Kim among others.
This imaginative, quite erotic piece turns nasty at times, but it's also weird or even funny. It got a lot of plusses, like the costumes and the score - but the presentation is the most impressive feature as this long film never turn flat.
8.5 out of 10 Ben Wa balls.
This review of The Handmaiden (2016) was written by Tor M on 19 Dec 2018.
The Handmaiden has generally received very positive reviews.
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