The Handmaiden

15 yrs 139 minutes • 2016 • 8.1

During the japanese occupation of Korea in the 1930s, a fraudster arranges for his partner to be employed as a handmaiden for the wealthy heiress Hideko, to be able to steal her inheritance. The plan, however, is complicated by the love affair that evolves between the handmaiden and Hideko. The film is based on Sarah Waters novel Fingersmith, and is filled with unexpected developments and turn of events. Kristoffer Viita at Kulturnyheterna writes: “Park Chan-wook is simply a magician when it comes to playing with the audience’s expectations. And regarding manipulation and fraud, his characters masters the lie with a black belt. The power is never in the hands of who we believe, and safe places turns out to be traps. The amount of detail in every carefully calculated move is almost overwhelming”. He finishes his review with the highest rating.