I don’t want to tell you much of anything about how things play out, because there are plenty of nifty, nasty surprises to be enjoyed here, but you should know that there’s some rather explicit handmaiden-on-lady-of-the-house sex, there’s some familiar Park Chan-wook arty gore, and there’s a lot of old-timey porn.
Amid all that, Park doesn’t get distracted, keeping a tight focus on the winding story and coaxing great performances out of all four leads. Kim Min-hee is especially entrancing, robustly playing a nutty, devious rich girl with a soul. An intelligent, funny erotic thriller, The Handmaiden seems destined for some kind of American remake that isn’t likely to live up to Park’s invention, wit, and daring." - Richard Lawson, Vanity Fair
The Handmaiden
Agassi
South Korea 2016
145 mins
CinemaScope/DCP
In Korean and Japanese, with English subtitles
Director: Park Chan-wook
Producers: Park Chan-wook, Syd Lim
Screenplay: Chung Seo-kyung, Park Chan-wook. Based on the novel Fingersmith by Sarah Waters
Photography: Chung Chung-hoon
Editors: Kim Sang-bum, Kim Jae-bum
Production designer: Ryu Seong-hee
Costume designer: Cho Sang-kyung
Music: Cho Young-wuk
With: Kim Min-hee (Lady Hideko), Kim Tae-ri (Sookee), Ha Jung-woo (the Count), Cho Jin-woong (Kouzuki), Kim Hae-sook (Mrs Sasaki), Moon So-ri (Hideko’s aunt)
Festivals: Cannes (In Competition) 2016
For tickets and details about films at other venues, please visit the New Zealand International Film Festival website.