The Handmaiden

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This article is about the 2016 South Korean film. For the servant, see handmaiden. For other uses, see The Handmaid.
The Handmaiden
The Handmaiden film.png
Theatrical release poster
Directed by Park Chan-wook
Produced by <templatestyles src="Plainlist/styles.css"/>
  • Park Chan-wook
  • Syd Lim
Screenplay by <templatestyles src="Plainlist/styles.css"/>
  • Park Chan-wook
  • Chung Seo-kyung
Based on Fingersmith
by Sarah Waters
Starring <templatestyles src="Plainlist/styles.css"/>
Music by Jo Yeong-wook
Cinematography Chung Chung-hoon
Edited by <templatestyles src="Plainlist/styles.css"/>
Production
companies
<templatestyles src="Plainlist/styles.css"/>
  • Moho Film
  • Yong Film
Distributed by CJ Entertainment
Release dates
 <templatestyles src="Plainlist/styles.css"/>
Running time
 <templatestyles src="Plainlist/styles.css"/>
Country South Korea
Language <templatestyles src="Plainlist/styles.css"/>
  • Korean
  • Japanese
Budget ₩10 billion
(approx. $8.8 million)[3]
Box office $37.7 million[4]

The Handmaiden (Hangul: 아가씨; RR: Agassi; lit. "Lady") is a 2016 South Korean erotic psychological thriller film directed by Park Chan-wook and starring Kim Min-hee, Kim Tae-ri, Ha Jung-woo and Cho Jin-woong. It is inspired from the novel Fingersmith by Welsh writer Sarah Waters, with the setting changed from Victorian era Britain to Korea under Japanese colonial rule.

The film was selected to compete for the Palme d'Or at the 2016 Cannes Film Festival. It was released in South Korea on 1 June 2016, to critical acclaim. It grossed over $37 million worldwide.

At the 71st British Academy Film Awards, the film won the category of Best Film Not in the English Language.

Plot

Part 1

In Japanese-occupied Korea, a conman operating under the sobriquet of "Count Fujiwara" plans to seduce a Japanese heiress named Lady Hideko, then marry her and commit her to an asylum in order to steal her inheritance. He hires a pickpocket named Sook-hee from a family of con artists to become Hideko's maid and encourage Hideko to marry him.

Hideko lives with her authoritarian Uncle Kouzuki. Kouzuki makes money by selling rare books, and he has Hideko give readings of the books for potential buyers. Sook-hee and Hideko grow closer, and Hideko allows Sook-hee to wear her dresses and jewelry. When Hideko asks Sook-hee what married life will be like, Sook-hee makes passionate love to her, promising her the same pleasures with her new husband. Sook-hee begins expressing reluctance about the plan, but when Hideko herself feels that she cannot go through with the marriage, Sook-hee insists, causing Hideko to slap her and run away in frustration.

When Kouzuki leaves on business for a week, Hideko and Fujiwara elope. After cashing out Hideko's inheritance, it is then revealed that Hideko and Fujiwara double crossed Sook-hee and has convinced the asylum that she is the "Countess," and have her committed in Hideko's stead.

Part 2

A series of flashbacks show that Kouzuki was abusive to both Hideko and her aunt. The books he sells are sadistic pornography, which he trains and forces his wife to read at private auctions for the books, a practice that he also teaches Hideko during childhood. Hideko's aunt is eventually found hanged from a tree in the yard. When Hideko suspects the death was not suicide, Kouzuki takes Hideko into his basement, where he tells her that he murdered her aunt after she had attempted to run away.

In the more recent past, Hideko has grown up, and Fujiwara plans to seduce her to steal her inheritance. He finds this impossible due to Hideko being desensitized to sex acts and can not be seduced, and he instead makes a deal with her: if they get married, he'll save her from her uncle in exchange for half her inheritance. Hideko agrees under the condition that when they marry, he gives her a vial of poison guaranteed to kill her quickly in the event she is caught by her uncle and taken back to the basement. Hideko further proposes to hire a maid and commit the maid to an asylum in her place.

All the while being instructed by Fujiwara, who takes advantage of Sook-hee's illiteracy, Hideko unexpectedly falls in love with her. Knowing that the woman she loved was planning on betraying her, even with her feelings and their love making, Hideko tries to hang herself. Sook-hee saves her, and confesses her culpability in trying to commit Hideko and steal her inheritance. Hideko admits her plan to commit Sook-hee in her place, and the two vow to get revenge on both Kouzuki and Fujiwara. Hideko shows Sook-hee her uncle's collection of pornography, and Sook-hee destroys the collection in anger. Hideko eventually joins her, calling Sook-hee "her savior" from her uncle's abuse.

Part 3

Sook-hee's friend Bok-soon sets a fire at the asylum and poses as a firefighter to help rescue Sook-hee. Meanwhile, Hideko poisons Fujiwara's wine, causing him to pass out while she takes the money and leaves. Sook-hee and Hideko reunite and flee together, disguising Hideko as a man to avoid detection.

Kouzuki captures Fujiwara upon receiving a letter from Hideko detailing Fujiwara's deception. He tortures Fujiwara in his cellar with his collection of antique bookmaking tools and presses him for sexual details about his niece. Fujiwara makes up a story about their wedding night, but a flashback shows that Hideko had cut her hand on a knife to stain her sheets, refusing to consummate the marriage. When Kouzuki presses for more details, Fujiwara convinces Kouzuki to give him one of his cigarettes. After smoking for a while, a disgusted Fujiwara refuses to give any further details. Kouzuki notices the cigarettes are producing blue smoke. Fujiwara reveals that his cigarettes had been laced with mercury, and the toxic gas within the smoke kills them both.

On a ferry to Shanghai, China, Sook-hee and Hideko celebrate their newfound freedom by making love once again.

Cast

Production

In December 2014, it was reported that Kim Min-hee, Kim Tae-ri, Ha Jung-woo and Cho Jin-woong signed on for Fingersmith.[5] Kim Tae-ri was selected from 1,500 candidates to play the role.[6] Shooting for the film began in June 2015 and concluded in October 2015.[7][8]

The Dream of the Fisherman's Wife and Jin Ping Mei were featured in the film.[9]

Release

In February 2016, CJ Entertainment announced that The Handmaiden was pre-sold to 116 countries, including to Amazon Studios for the US.[10] The film premiered in competition at the 2016 Cannes Film Festival, where it received a standing ovation, and Ryu Seong-hee won the Vulcan Award of the Technical Artist for her art direction work on the film.[11][12][13] The film was also screened in the Special Presentations section of the 2016 Toronto International Film Festival, where The Playlist named it as one of the 15 best films of the festival.[14] In South Korea, the film was released on 1 June 2016 and sold more than 4 million tickets.[15][16][17]

In the United States, the distribution of the film was handled by Amazon Studios and Magnolia Pictures. The film opened in limited release across five cinemas in New York City and Los Angeles,[18][19] and played in 140 additional cinemas in the following weeks.[20] Eventually, the film grossed $2 million in the United States theatrically;[21] the film outgrossed Stoker and became the highest-grossing Park Chan-wook-directed film in the United States.[22] It was released on DVD in the US on 24 January 2017 and Blu-ray on March 28, 2017.[23][24]

In the United Kingdom, the distribution of the film was handled by Amazon Studios and Curzon Artificial Eye. The film grossed more than $1.8 million in the United Kingdom theatrically, and became the highest-grossing foreign-language film in UK in 2017.[25]

Reception

Critical response

The Handmaiden received critical acclaim. On Rotten Tomatoes, the film has an approval rating of 95%, based on 200 reviews, and an average score of 8.3/10. The site's critical consensus reads, "The Handmaiden uses a Victorian crime novel as the loose inspiration for another visually sumptuous and absorbingly idiosyncratic outing from director Park Chan-wook."[26] On Metacritic, the film holds a weighted average score of 84 out of 100, based on 40 reviews, indicating "universal acclaim".[27] The Economist described the film as a masterpiece.[9] Benjamin Lee of The Guardian ranked it four of five stars and described it as "a hugely entertaining thriller".[28]

Response to the explicit scenes

The film's numerous sexually explicit scenes between the two main female characters sparked some controversy. Laura Miller at Slate described the scenes as "disappointingly boilerplate" and featuring "visual clichés of pornographic lesbianism, [the actresses'] bodies offered up for the camera’s delectation."[29] However, The New Yorker's Jia Tolentino said that "the women know what they look like, it seems—they are consciously performing for each other—and Park is deft at extracting the particular sense of silly freedom that can be found in enacting a sexual cliché."[30]

Top ten lists

The Handmaiden was listed on numerous critics' top ten lists.[31]

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Accolades

List of awards and nominations
Year Award Category Recipient(s) Result
2016 Alliance of Women Film Journalists[34][35] Best Non-English-Language Film Park Chan-wook Won
Austin Film Critics Association[36][37] Best Film The Handmaiden 4th Place
Best Director Park Chan-wook Nominated
Best Supporting Actress Kim Min-hee Nominated
Best Adapted Screenplay Park Chan-wook and Chung Seo-kyung Nominated
Best Cinematography Chung Chung-hoon Nominated
Best Foreign Language Film The Handmaiden Won
Blue Dragon Film Awards Best Film The Handmaiden Nominated
Best Director Park Chan-wook Nominated
Best Actress Kim Min-hee Won
Best New Actress Kim Tae-ri Won
Best Cinematography Chung Chung-hoon Nominated
Best Art Direction Ryu Seong-hee Won
Best Music Jo Yeong-wook Nominated
Technical Award Jo Sang-kyeong (costume design) Nominated
Boston Society of Film Critics[38] Best Cinematography Chung Chung-hoon Won
Best Foreign Language Film The Handmaiden Won
Buil Film Awards Best Film The Handmaiden Nominated
Best Director Park Chan-wook Nominated
Best Actress Kim Min-hee Nominated
Best New Actress Kim Tae-ri Won
Best Cinematography Chung Chung-hoon Nominated
Best Art Direction Ryu Seong-hee Won
Best Music Jo Yeong-wook Nominated
Buil Readers' Jury Award Park Chan-wook Won
Busan Film Critics Awards Best New Actress Kim Tae-ri Won
Cannes Film Festival Palme d'Or Park Chan-wook Nominated
Queer Palm Park Chan-wook Nominated
Vulcan Award Ryu Seong-hee Won
Chicago Film Critics Association[39] Best Film The Handmaiden Nominated
Best Director Park Chan-wook Nominated
Best Adapted Screenplay Park Chan-wook and Chung Seo-kyung Won
Best Cinematography Chung Chung-hoon Nominated
Best Foreign Language Film The Handmaiden Won
Best Art Direction The Handmaiden Won
Critics' Choice Awards[40] Best Foreign Language Film The Handmaiden Nominated
Dallas–Fort Worth Film Critics Association[41] Best Foreign Language Film The Handmaiden Won
Director's Cut Awards Best Actress Kim Min-hee Won
Best New Actress Kim Tae-ri Won
Florida Film Critics Circle[42] Best Foreign Language Film The Handmaiden Runner-up
Best Cinematography Chung Chung-hoon Runner-up
Korean Association of Film Critics Awards Top Ten Films of the Year The Handmaiden Won
Best Cinematography Chung Chung-hoon Won
IndieWire Critics Poll[43] Best Film The Handmaiden 7th Place
Best Director Park Chan-wook 5th Place
Best Original Score or Soundtrack The Handmaiden 8th Place
Best Cinematography The Handmaiden 4th Place
Best Editing The Handmaiden 8th Place
Los Angeles Film Critics Association[44] Best Production Design Ryu Seong-hee Won
Best Foreign Language Film The Handmaiden Won
Melbourne International Film Festival Most Popular Feature Film The Handmaiden Runner-up
New York Film Critics Online[45] Best Foreign Language Film The Handmaiden Won
San Diego Film Critics Society[46][47] Best Foreign Language Film The Handmaiden Nominated
San Francisco Film Critics Circle[48][49] Best Adapted Screenplay Park Chan-wook and Chung Seo-kyung Nominated
Best Foreign Language Film The Handmaiden Won
Best Production Design Ryu Seong-hee Won
St. Louis Gateway Film Critics Association[50] Best Production Design Ryu Seong-hee Won
Best Foreign Language Film The Handmaiden Runner-up
Toronto Film Critics Association[51] Best Foreign Language Film The Handmaiden Runner-up
Vancouver Film Critics Circle[52] Best Foreign Language Film The Handmaiden Nominated
Washington D.C. Area Film Critics Association[53] Best Foreign Language Film The Handmaiden Nominated
Women Film Critics Circle[54] Best Foreign Film by or about Women The Handmaiden Won
2017 Asian Film Awards[55][56] Best Supporting Actress Moon So-ri Won
Best Newcomer Kim Tae-ri Won
Best Screenplay Park Chan-wook and Chung Seo-kyung Nominated
Best Production Designer Ryu Seong-hee Won
Best Editor Kim Jae-bum and Kim Sang-bum Nominated
Best Costume Designer Jo Sang-kyeong Won
Baeksang Arts Awards[57][58] Grand Prize Park Chan-wook Won
Best Film The Handmaiden Nominated
Best Director Park Chan-wook Nominated
Best Actress Kim Min-hee Nominated
Best Supporting Actor Cho Jin-woong Nominated
Best New Actress Kim Tae-ri Nominated
Best Screenplay Park Chan-wook and Chung Seo-kyung Nominated
Chunsa Film Art Awards Best Director Park Chan-wook Nominated
Best Actress Kim Min-hee Nominated
Best New Actress Kim Tae-ri Nominated
Technical Award Ryu Sung Hee Nominated
Jung Jung Hoon Nominated
Dorian Awards[59] Director of the Year Park Chan-wook Nominated
Foreign Language Film of the Year The Handmaiden Won
LGBTQ Film of the Year The Handmaiden Nominated
Visually Striking Film of the Year The Handmaiden Nominated
Houston Film Critics Society[60][61] Best Picture The Handmaiden Nominated
Best Foreign Language Film The Handmaiden Won
National Board of Review[62] Top 5 Foreign Films The Handmaiden Won
National Society of Film Critics[63] Best Foreign Language Film The Handmaiden 2nd Place
Online Film Critics Society[64] Best Picture The Handmaiden Nominated
Best Foreign Language Film The Handmaiden Won
Satellite Awards[65] Best Foreign Language Film The Handmaiden Nominated
Saturn Awards[66] Best International Film The Handmaiden Won
Best Costume Design Jo Sang-kyeong Nominated
Seattle Film Critics Society[67][68] Best Picture of the Year The Handmaiden Nominated
Best Foreign Language Film The Handmaiden Nominated
Best Production Design Ryu Seong-hee Won
Best Costume Design Jo Sang-kyeong Won
2018 British Academy Film Awards[69] Best Film Not in the English Language Park Chan-wook and Syd Lim Won
Empire Awards[70][71] Best Thriller The Handmaiden Nominated
London Film Critics Circle Awards[72] Foreign Language Film of the Year The Handmaiden Nominated

See also

  • Fingersmith, BBC mini-series that is also based on the book of the same name

References

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External links

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