The Handmaiden Full Movie

Serving as a visual feast and intricate puzzle, this Korean director’s “The Handmaiden” bested thousands of films at the 2016 Cannes Film Festival and premiered to raves. It’s set in the 1930s, Korea, under Japanese colonial rule, which is why the movie is based on Sarah Waters’ book, “Fingersmith.” It is the tale of a brazenly brazen scheme to cheat an upscale Japanese mistress, Lady Hideko, and a snafu or two that come of it.

The Handmaiden Movie Explained

It’s the story of Count Fujiwara, a con man, seducing a Japanese heiress Lady Hideko, in a secluded Korean estate. So thinking he hires a young pickpocket called Sook-hee as Lady Hideko’s handmaiden for executing this plan. Lady Hideko is supposed to be persuaded to fall in love with Count Fujiwara, after which the Count will cause her to be locked away in a lunatic asylum, where he can steal her inheritance.

Then Sookhee and Lady Hideko, though sometimes affected by a strange friendship, take an unexpected turn as Sookhee’s intentions become more complex. The film features two parts, which take diverging positions on what happened. Originally, Sook-hee tells the first, and Lady Hideko the second.

This structure of the narrative will also give the audience the same events from different angles, thus making the story richer. It also examines the themes of deception, love and power respectively and time periods which were historically important in Korea’s history.

The Handmaiden Movie Reviews

“The Handmaiden” was a critically lauded triumph, for its complexity of storytelling, beauty of image, and of the performances. A number of critics placed the film on their top ten of the year lists, with several critics of the film as the best film of the year. Here are some notable reviews: Danny Bowes and Dan Callahan, both at RogerEbert.com, both called it the best film of the year, praising the movie for its style and substance.

It also made the top films list at The A.V. Club - Noel Murray and Katie Rife include how masterful the direction and performances are. Rob Hunter of Film School Rejects ranked it second because it has impossibly great cinematography, good narrative complexity. Second, placing it was The Verge’s Tasha Robinson, who appreciates that it can be funny and grotesque at the same time.

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The film’s box office has also helped it to success, making over $38 million worldwide. The British Academy Film Awards also named it as Best Film Not in the English Language, as part of a year that also solidified the film's critical and commercial success.

The Handmaiden Movie Netflix

“The Handmaiden” wasn’t available on Netflix, where it would have been accessible for free to millions through this pandemic … until Netflix bought the film, and then it became available to stream for free on Netflix.” It then found its way to streaming platforms, however. According to another source, the film was included in the Netflix catalog in 2020 for a larger audience. The fact that Netflix is making this move shows just how popular — and critically acclaimed — the film continues to be.

Is It Good?

Nearly unanimously, critics and audiences alike have taken to the adjective that best describes them. “The Handmaiden” is considered a masterpiece, not just for its complex plot writing, but the visuals, and the performances itself. The combination of eroticism; psychological thriller elements; and historical context work syncretically in the film, creating a one of a kind viewing experience. To its credit, Park Chan-wook directs the film with such skill that it juggling humor and grotesquerie makes it funny and engrossing at the same time.

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Often praised for its performances of lead actors Kim Min-hee and Kim Tae-ri, as often happens when a movie features stark and stunning performances throughout. Their chemistry and the canned way they match their nuanced portrayals give the characters more meat to the bone, they are more relatable and compelling. Another highlight is the cinematography of Chung Chung-hoon, also, through wide framing and an attentiveness to detail, its cinematography is a pleasure to watch.

In the end, “The Handmaiden” is a film that is, simply, a good time, and one that also pushes backs to think about what it’s depicting. All of that critical acclaim, box office business and streaming popularity for all that time to come means it’s a modern classic in cinema.

• Director

  : Park Chan-wook

• Casting

  : Kim Min-hee, Ha Jung-woo, Cho Jin-woong

• Production

  : Park Chan-wook, Wonjo Jeong, Syd Lim