By Eden Lozano
Park Chan-wook’s “The Handmaiden” is a lesson in good storytelling.
“The Handmaiden” is a 2016 historical thriller film. The film follows the maid Nam Sook-hee (Kim Tae-ri) who is working under the rich Japanese heiress Izumi Hideko (Kim Min-hee). It is revealed that Sook-hee is actually a thief who is trying to convince the rich heiress to marry her associate, a conman posing as the wealthy Count Fujiwara (Ha Jung-woo), so they can steal her fortune.
What I found most compelling about “The Handmaiden” were the many twists and turns within the plot. The film is broken down into three parts, with each part revealing a new twist to the original plans. Although the film begins from the point of view of the maid, this perspective gradually shifts to that of the heiress and the conman to share their sides of the story, as well as their motivations in carrying out this grand scheme.
The acting within the film was incredible and deeply layered. As the perspectives shift throughout the plot, new angles of the characters are discovered. The maid might be a thieving conwoman, but she is also very openly affectionate and kindhearted towards the heiress, though a bit naive. The rich lady of the house, seemingly innocent, is actually forced by her money-hungry uncle to read pornographic novels to rich audiences. Count Fujiwara, though a conman, is quick to realize that seduction is an impossible task with the heiress. As the real scheme underlying the plot is revealed, we see the different faces that the characters are wearing. I was surprised by how layered the characters felt; their pain and misfortunes felt real and whole, not one-note. Every twist was delightfully surprising but clearly calculated whether I saw them coming or not.
“The Handmaiden” has a fresh visual presence. The cinematographer is Chung-hoon Chung, who previously collaborated with director Chan-wook on “Oldboy”; aside from that, he has also worked on Edgar Wright’s film “Last Night in Soho.”
The framing of shots in the film often make scenes more intense. Characters often feel constrained to scenes due to the strategic framing of lines within the shot; for example, the hatched line pattern of doors behind Hideko during her reading scenes resemble the bars of a cage or prison cell. The whole scene feels claustrophobic; every element of the setting makes Hideko feel small and trapped within the space. Even other elements within these scenes — paintings behind her, bonsai trees framing the shot — dwarf her in comparison. It’s a simple but extremely effective technique to communicate Hideko’s inner turmoil.
“The Handmaiden” is a unique film in that it communicates so much — and so very well — within its two-hour runtime.
LGBT movies are becoming more common nowadays, but after decades of censorship on all ends, there are somewhat archaic tropes that appeared over time. Oftentimes, queer films end in one partner dying or leaving; many couples in queer films feature considerable age gaps, as in films like “Carol” or “A Single Man.” While these tropes aren’t necessarily good or bad, they can be tiresome (especially the dead lover trope), so it’s extremely refreshing to see “The Handmaiden” subvert those expectations. There is a limited selection of iconic queer films, especially lesbian films — and even fewer that allow the heroines to be together in the end. “The Handmaiden” achieves something rare simply by letting their characters live and experience their love beyond the page.
After a very delightful viewing, I rate “The Handmaiden” at a full five out of five stars.