A cunning plan goes awry in this romantic thriller from director Park Chan-wook (Oldboy). A pickpocket posing as the new...
A cunning plan goes awry in this romantic thriller from director Park Chan-wook (Oldboy). A pickpocket posing as the new maid of an heiress falls into an erotic relationship with her, derailing a conman's elaborate plan to rob her blind. In competition for the Palme d'Or at Cannes Film Festival 2016.
"1930s Korea, in the period of Japanese occupation, a new girl (Sookee) is hired as a handmaiden to a Japanese heiress (Hideko) who lives a secluded life on a large countryside estate with her domineering Uncle (Kouzuki). But the maid has a secret. She is a pickpocket recruited by a swindler posing as a Japanese Count to help him seduce the Lady to elope with him, rob her of her fortune, and lock her up in a madhouse. The plan seems to proceed according to plan until Sookee and Hideko discover some unexpected emotions." (Cannes Film Festival)
Less
Where to watch The Handmaiden
96 %225 reviewsRotten Tomatoes® rating
91 %11,390 reviewsAudience score rating
"It’s sybaritic, cruel and luridly mesmerizing."
—
Variety
Variety"Mostly, this is smart, sumptuous and wonderfully indulgent."
—
Time Out
Time Out"Shifts from being a lascivious slice of art-house delirium to a gruelling, dislikable contraption which meretriciously sells out its source material."
—
The Telegraph
The Telegraph"The impotency of the male characters helps to counter this while the sex scenes themselves, as lovingly shot as they might be, feel vital to the narrative."
—
The Guardian
The Guardian"A haunting, beguiling and rousing drama that is not for the faint-hearted or prudish."
—
Stuff
Stuff"An amusingly kinky erotic thriller and love story that brims with delicious surprises, making its two-and-a-half hours fly by."
—
Hollywood Reporter
Hollywood ReporterThe Handmaiden | Details
- Rating
- 18, strong sex, sex references
- Runtime
- 144
- Genre
- Drama, Romance, Thriller
- Country of origin
- South Korea
