Review of The Handmaiden (2016) by Johan V — 05 Feb 2017

I attended the UK premiere at the London Film Festival tonight and was priveleged enough to meet the Korean legend himself. Having lived in South Korea, I am dead sure this movie faced huge controversy and censorship in it's native country. Explicit sex is taboo in Korea. This film is NOT as dark as Thirst, not a brutal as Oldboy, but it is the most debaucherous of all of his films. The whole concept of a traditional twist is turned upside down in 'The Handmaiden', the idea of a 'whodunnit' reinvented.

Now let me focus on the villain. Uncle Kouzuki (played by Jin-woong Jo) is, without a sliver of competition, the BEST villain to grace international cinemas in the past decade. Hollywood hasn't had a villain since Hannibal. All hail the new king. Park Chan-Wook you are a god. Highly recommended to read up on Japanese annexation of Korea and comfort women, before viewing.