The Handmaiden

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1. ›The Handmaiden (Korean film): A truly wonderful film filled with surprises@netflixr795d

   I really enjoy Korean cinema because at least in some categories of films they are not predictable like most movies from Hollywood are. The "good guys" lose as often as they win in Korean films and often it isn't even very easy to determine who the good guys even are until the film totally wraps up.

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   The fact that this movie looks a bit old-timey might scare some people away but please don't let yourself be one of those people because this movie gets moving very quickly. It takes place during a time when Japanese soldiers still occupied Korea but they don't bother with focusing on that too much nor do they attempt to make some sort of political statement about it even though these were pretty rough times for Koreans. Imagine that Hollywood! People can just makes movies without having some sort of educational trickery to push a message of some sort! It is possible as it turns out.

   I am going to be quite vague with the story here because the surprises that happen along the way in the 3 parts of this film fall into place so wonderfully by the time it wraps up.

   So there is a group of thieves that live in a small and rather impoverished Korean town and one of the admired leaders of the group named Count Fujiwara has spent many years investigating a heir to a fortune who lives on a nearby estate. She is a lovely looking woman who is meant to be Japanese but is played by a Korean actress. Her name is Izumi Hideko and she lives with her overbearing uncle who has been put in charge of her affairs until she marries. The uncle, not wanting to miss out of the fortune plans to marry her himself and while it is not evident or even spoken about what it is that he is waiting for, we need that wait in order for the story to unfold.

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   The Count intends to plant a new handmaiden for the Lady heiress in the estate that is part of his little gang of pickpocket criminals and as a duo they are meant to manipulate her into falling in love with him so that he can take control of her inheritance and then get her locked up in a mental hospital where she will be killed.

   If this sounds like a spoiler it is not. This plan is revealed to us in the first 10 minutes of the film and it is likely in the trailer as well.

   So what makes this film so amazing isn't necessarily the plot to commit fraud so much as how it changes so many times throughout the 2+ hours of the film. If you know my style you already know that I don't tolerate movies that are over 2 hours long but this was one that even though I had to read all of it, that I was very happy to sit through all of.

   The actors and actresses are all exceptional in this and their commitment to professionalism is just amazing. Kim Min-hee and Kim Tae-ri are amazing and the emotion that they bring out in the audience is something that you don't often see in a movie.

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   The bond that they form with one another is very believable and touching and that is what make the ploy that the maid and the count have with one another to defraud her so heartbreaking. You'll see what I am talking about as the movie progresses.

   Now here is something that I need to warn you about. Do NOT watch this movie with your parents or children because it is extremely sexually graphic. The fact that these actors and actresses were able to get these scenes done, which must have taken a lot of takes is something very admirable. Love scenes are something that actors and actresses talk about being quite difficult but when you see what I am talking about in this one, you'll understand why it is that I admire their commitment to their craft so much.
   Also, there is a lot of language-swapping going on from Japanese to Korean and while I do not speak either of these languages and cannot attest to the accuracy of the actors and actresses in it, I admire the fact that they didn't overdub any of it and the actors really are speaking both languages. You hear that Jared Leto? They actually learned the language they were speaking in a film!

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   I've intentionally left the more graphic images out of this because I am not trying to promote porn or anything and that is NOT what this movie is. It is very sexually graphic yes, so be a bit cautious about who it is that you decide to watch this with.

   Should I watch it?

   It should be abundantly clear that I think yes, you should watch it but like I said above it is very graphic and I would be uncomfortable watching this with my relatives but maybe that is just me. The sexual aspects of the movie are necessary to the plot so this isn't just some slasher movies that have boobies in it for the sheer hell of it. This highly regarded and heavily praised film managed to turn a relatively huge profit around the world for a Korean film.

   Even though I already am a big fan of Korean cinema, this is up there in what I consider to be the top-10 Korean movies ever made. I consider it to be a "must see."

   

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2. ›The Handmaiden - Several shenanigans are in place in this amazing Korean film@dedicatedguy2317d

   This is a cross post of @dedicatedguy: The Handmaiden - Several shenanigans are in place in this amazing Korean film by @dedicatedguy.
   
   Post in tune with the interests of the community.

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3. ›The Handmaiden - Several shenanigans are in place in this amazing Korean film@dedicatedguy2317d

   This is a cross post of @dedicatedguy: The Handmaiden - Several shenanigans are in place in this amazing Korean film by @dedicatedguy.
   
   Post in tune with the interests of the community.

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4. ›The Handmaiden - Several shenanigans are in place in this amazing Korean film@dedicatedguy2317d

   

   This is a 2016 Korean gem of a film! It has a good story with surprising twists, excellent acting, and beautiful photography. The movie is quite long at 2:25 hours for the regular version and almost 2:50 for the extended version, which is the one I just saw.

   The first scenes when we are seeing the house where most of the events take place are breathtaking. The quality of the image is top-notch and it is obvious right from the beginning.

   The story is set in Korea when it was under the control of Japan. In order to achieve this control, there were some Koreans who sold off their country for personal riches. A talented conman knows about one of these Koreans living a great with a wealthy Japanese family and he plans to right this wrong. He wants to somehow steal the wealth of this Japanese family and keep it to himself.

   In order to do this, he joins forces with another Korean girl with the goal of infiltrating the Japanese home as their servant girl, specifically the handmaid of the young heiress. Even though this plot sounds exciting enough it is not even half of what this movie is about.

   

   The movie has several genres, it has drama obviously, a little bit of thriller, romance and there are even some adult scenes that are really explicit. It is divided into 3 parts which are of big help in organizing the events. I was surprised to see a major twist in the middle of the movie and it perfectly marked the ending of part 1.

   Adult topics are a big deal in this story so be aware of this when deciding to watch this film. Some scenes really seemed like if they were taken from an Asian porn studio. Given the fact this movie is very intimate, I understand why these scenes were added, besides there is also a secondary character that is a sexual pervert and is a big influence in the development of a key character.

   If you enjoy well-written crime/vengeance stories then you should certainly give this film a watch. The director is the same from the Korean classic Oldboy, Chan-wook Park. I will certainly be checking more of his works in the coming days/weeks.

   

   The best

   • Great twists! Especially the one in the middle of the movie, it took me by surprise!
   • Interesting plot and beautiful execution.

   The worst

   • At almost 3 hours long I was feeling a little bit tired by the end. This might not have happened if I had decided to watch the regular version though.
   • The adult scenes make this film a non-family movie.

   More information: https://www.themoviedb.org/movie/290098 Review: AAA In numbers: 7.5/10

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5. ›The handmaiden (film): an erotic thriller you must see!@cristiancaicedo2793d

   

   Lady Hideko and Sookee

   The handmaiden is one of those film gems that I've discovered exploring the cinema of other regions and in other languages. Not in vain he won the BAFTA Award for Best Foreign Language Film this year. This Korean film by director Park Chan-wook is difficult to frame within a single genre because it has a lot of psychological thriller, but also drama, erotic novel, gothic and romantic.

   Seeing the film makes it clear that the story comes from Literature. The plot is inspired by the novel "Fingersmith" by the English writer Sarah Waters. Only that the United Kingdom of the Victorian era where the story takes place in the book is changed in the film by the occupied Korea in the decade of the 30s of the last century. The film is divided into three parts, each centered on one of the characters and their relationships with the other protagonists. These parts don't follow a linear chronology, but go back and forth to reveal intentionally omitted parts of the previous parts, giving a new twist to the story.

   

   1st Part

   A young Korean woman, Sookee, is hired as a maid in the mansion of a wealthy Japanese woman, Hideko. The latter lives under the influence and yoke of her uncle Kouzuki after the suicide of his wife. From this simple fact the whole plot is triggered. As the story progresses we realize that Sookee was not chosen randomly.

   Fujiwara, Hideko, Sookee and Kouzuki

   A con man, known as the "Count Fujiwara", whom Sookee already knows, is the one who recommends her and places her in that house with the intention of helping him to make Hideko fall in love with him, steal her inheritance and intern her in a mental hospital. Sookee knows this man because she herself belongs to his gang of smugglers with whom he has worked previously. The problem arises when from so much sharing Sookee and Hideko fall in love and make love passionately, starring in one of the most beautifully filmed erotic scenes I've seen (which is actually shown in the second part). As a result, Sookee begins to be consumed by the guilt of being fooling Hideko. But the plan continues as agreed, Hideko secretly marries the false Count and the three flee together. However, upon arriving at the madhouse, Surprise! They don't take Hideko but Sookee! We have been deceived! what happened? What did we miss? Who betrayed her?

   

   2nd Part

   It's the slowest part of the movie. It focuses on Hideko's childhood and shows how his aunt taught her to read under the strict supervision of her uncle. It also reveals a painful secret: the uncle has a huge collection of erotic books and makes Hideko's aunt read these books for wealthy collectors who then participate in the auction of the work. These exploitation sessions end up charging the life of the aunt and Hideko replaces her in the reading sessions.

   Movie Poster UK Version

   We also see that Hideko's uncle is not only strict and abusive but he's also a con man. He hires an artist to decorate and create illustrations to those books that later auction as antique jewelry. And who is this artist? Fujiwara! And not only that. Then we see the Count talks to Hideko and offers her a plan to escape from his uncle: find a maid to help them, get married and after claiming the inheritance, intern the maid in a sanatorium with Hideko's identity. This explains the end of the first part, but before the end of this intermission we see Hideko torn apart by guilt (like Sookee before) and tries to commit suicide. Sookee saves her and between tears they both confess their respective plans to get the other out of the way. Heart opened, they decide to take revenge of Fujiwara and the uncle, destroying the books of this last one. But did not we see Sookee being interned at the end of the first half? So, again, who betrayed who?

   

   3rd Part

   Story moves forward very quickly, as opposed to the intermediate. Sookee manages to escape from the madhouse during a fire caused by his friends in the gang. Hideko, in a hotel, adds opium to a glass of wine and offers it to Fujiwara, but when he refuses to drink it, she sips it and deposits it inside his mouth while she kisses him, seducing him. Fujiwara tries to rape Hideko but falls to the ground because of the effects of the drug. After this Sookee and Hideko meet at the hotel and leave immediately, falsify passports and leave the country by passing one of them by a man.

   Last secuence of the film

   Kouzuki casually finds Fujiwara and returns him back to his farm, tortures him and pressures him to obtain sexual details about his niece who has escaped despite his efforts to reach her. The fake Count asks him to light some blue cigarettes that he carries in his cigar case and starts telling him things while the blue smoke floods the room. Finally he reveals that the cigarettes have been tied with mercury and that the toxic gas inside the smoke is killing them both, ending at the same time with the oppressors of the protagonists who, in the last scene, make love with passion, tenderness and in absolute freedom.

   

   For the beautiful photography, the well-cared spaces, the artistic treatment of the erotic scenes, the excellent performances and especially for the unexpected twists in the plot that make the almost three hours of duration fly by, I give this movie a score of 9/10 in my personal ranking and I highly recommend it.

   @cristiancaicedo

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6. ›The handmaiden: un thriller erótico que debes ver!@cristiancaicedo2795d

   

   Lady Hideko y Sookee

   The handmaiden, traducido como "La doncella" es una de esas joyas fílmicas que he descubierto explorando el cine de otras regiones y en otros idiomas. No en balde obtuvo el Premio BAFTA a Mejor película de habla no inglesa en su última entrega. Esta película coreana del director Park Chan-wook es difícil de enmarcar dentro de un único género porque tiene mucho de thriller psicológico, pero también de drama, novela erótica, gótica y romántica.

   Al ver la película se hace evidente que la historia proviene de la Literatura. La trama está inspirada en la novela "Fingersmith" de la escritora inglesa Sarah Waters ("Falsa identidad", publicada en español por editorial Anagrama) sólo que el Reino Unido de la época victoriana donde acontece la historia en el libro es cambiado en la cinta por la Corea ocupada en la década de los años 30 del siglo pasado. La cinta está dividida en tres partes, cada una de ellas centrada en uno de los personajes y en sus relaciones con los otros protagonistas. Estas partes no siguen una cronología lineal, sino que van y vuelven para revelarnos partes intencionalmente omitidas de las partes anteriores, dándole cada vez un nuevo giro a la historia.

   

   1ª Parte

   Una joven coreana, Sookee, es contratada como criada en la mansión de una adinerada mujer japonesa, Hideko. Esta última vive recluida bajo la influencia y el yugo de su tío Kouzuki tras el suicidio de la esposa de él. De este simple hecho se dispara toda la trama. Conforme avanza la cinta nos damos cuenta de que Sookee no fue elegida al azar.

   Fujiwara, Hideko, Sookee y Kouzuki

   Un estafador, conocido como el “Conde Fujiwara”, a quien Sookee ya conoce, es quien la recomienda y la ubica en esa casa con la intención de que le ayude a enamorar a Hideko para casarse con ella, robar su herencia e internarla en un manicomio. Sookee conoce a este hombre porque ella misma pertenece a su pandilla de contrabandistas con los que ha trabajado anteriormente. El problema surge cuando de tanto compartir Sookee y Hideko se enamoran y hacen el amor apasionadamente, protagonizando una de las escenas eróticas más bellamente filmadas que he visto (que se muestra realmente en la segunda parte). A raíz de ello, Sookee comienza a consumirse por la culpa de estar engañando a Hideko. Pero el plan sigue como estaba acordado, Hideko se casa a escondidas con el falso Conde y los tres huyen juntos. Sin embargo, al llegar al manicomio ¡Sorpresa! No internan a Hideko ¡sino a Sookee! ¡Hemos sido engañados! ¿qué pasó? ¿qué nos perdimos? ¿quién la traicionó?

   

   2ª parte

   Es la parte más lenta de la película. Se centra en la niñez de Hideko y muestra cómo la tía le enseñaba a leer bajo la vigilancia estricta de su tío. Además nos revela un penoso secreto: el tío posee una enorme colección de libros eróticos y hace que la tía de Hideko lea estos libros para coleccionistas adinerados que luego participan de la subasta de la obra. Estas sesiones de explotación acaban por cobrar la vida de la tía y Hideko la reemplaza en las sesiones de lectura.

   Poster promocional para el Reino Unido

   Además vemos que el tío de Hideko no sólo es estricto y abusivo sino que es un estafador. Contrata a un artista para decorar y crear ilustraciones a esos libros que luego subasta como joyas antiguas ¿y quién es este artista? ¡Fujiwara! Y no sólo eso. Luego vemos al Conde hablar con Hideko y ofrecerle un plan para escapar de su tío: encontrarle una criada que los ayude, casarse los dos y tras haber reclamado la herencia, internar a la criada en un sanatorio con la identidad de Hideko. Esto explica el final de la primera parte, pero antes de que culmine este intermedio vemos a Hideko revolverse de culpa (igual que Sooke anteriormente) e intentar suicidarse. Sooke la salva y entre lágrimas ambas se confiesan los respectivos planes que tenían para sacar del camino a la otra. Confesas, deciden vengarse de Fujiwara y del tío, destrozando los libros de este último. ¿Pero no vimos a Sookee ser internada al final de la primera parte ? Entonces, nuevamente ¿quién traicionó a quién?

   

   3ª Parte

   Los hechos se suceden con gran rapidez, en contraposición al intermedio. Sookee logra escapar del manicomio durante un incendio provocado por sus amigos de la pandilla. Por su parte, Hideko, en un hotel, agrega opio a una copa de vino y se la ofrece a Fujiwara, pero ante su negativa de beberlo, ella lo sorbe y lo deposita dentro de la boca de él mientras lo besa, seduciéndolo. Fujiwara intenta violar a Hideko pero cae al suelo por los efectos del fármaco ingerido. Después de esto Sookee y Hideko se reúnen en el hotel y lo abandonan inmediatamente, falsifican pasaportes y abandonan el país haciendo pasar a una de ellas por un hombre.

   Secuencia final de la cinta

   Kouzuki casualmente encuentra a Fujiwara y le devuelve de regreso a su finca, lo tortura y le presiona para obtener detalles sexuales sobre su sobrina que se ha escapado a pesar de su esfuerzo en alcanzarla. El falso Conde le pide que le encienda unos cigarrillos azules que él carga en su cigarrera y comienza a contarle cosas mientras el humo azul va inundando la habitación. Por último revela que los cigarrillos han sido atados con mercurio y que el gas tóxico dentro del humo los está matando a ambos, acabando al mismo tiempo con los opresores de las protagonistas quienes, en la última escena, hacen el amor con pasión, ternura y en absoluta libertad.

   

   Por la hermosa fotografía, los espacios tan bien cuidados, el tratamiento artístico de las escenas eróticas, las excelentes actuaciones y sobre todo por los giros inesperados en la trama que hacen volar las casi tres horas que dura la cinta, le doy a esta película un puntaje de 9/10 en mi ranking personal y se las recomiendo ampliamente.

   @cristiancaicedo

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7. ›The Handmaiden (Korean): artistic, strange, and well, graphic@gooddream2951d

   Korean cinema strikes again and this film is something you definitely do not want to watch with your parents unless you have a very different relationship with yours than I do with mine.

   it says 18+ for very good reasons

   The story takes place in Japanese occupied Korea although the exact time is not made clear. It is a story of a poor Korean girl who works with people who dabble in not-exactly-legal practices like counterfeiting, pick-pocketing, and overall con artistry. One of the young girls in this con artist family is Sook-hee who has been selected to take part in an elaborate plan with a fake aristocrat named Count Fujiwara to seduce a Japanese heiress, get her to marry him, then have her committed into an insane asylum in Japan. Sounds difficult, right?

   Well it is difficult to explain this movie without spoiling it so I will do my best to not do that.

   Basically, the movie is told from 3 different perspectives and just once you think you know what is going on, it gets turned around on you. This is what I LOVE about Korean movies. For most of the Korean films I have bothered to watch the viewer never knows exactly how the story will end. This is extremely uncommon in Hollywood where 99% of the time you know the good guys are going to win, it is just a question of how.

   You need to be made aware that this is categorized as an "erotic psychological thriller" - which in case you don't know, means there is going to be boobies and sexual situations in it.

   The cinematography is just stunning, the music is perfect, the time-period costumes are all spot on, the set design is second-to-none, and the acting is flawless (and how difficult must it be to find people that speak Japanese and Korean but are also great actors?)

   the heiress is in the tub and the handmaiden is well, next to it

   This movie is a bit long but to be honest I wouldn't say I was ever bored except maybe during some of the library sequences where the heiress' perverted uncle invites other rich people to listen to "erotic stories."

   The film received almost entirely positive reviews and went on to win a bunch of awards in Korea and also (which isn't common) to win a bunch of international awards as well. This includes being nominated for 3 awards at the Cannes Film Festival and winning one of them.

   This trailer doesn't really tell you a lot about the film because well, if they showed much more it wouldn't be allowed to air anywhere and also it really is hard to talk about this movie without spoiling the twists. This is the same reason that I have intentionally not said very much about it.

   This movie is on a bunch of official critics top-ten lists of all time. It really is a good film unless you are a prude or will get in trouble for having boobies on your screen.

   9 / 10

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