The Handmaiden

☼ a masterpiece ☼
>someone: what’s up?
>me: thinking about _The Korean Gothic Lesbian Revenge Thriller That’s Captivated Cannes_
beautiful acting, great directing, astounding writing, i simply love being slapped in the face by [spoiler] plot twists [/spoiler] and this was an especially amazing movie because it [spoiler] not only had one twist but two! [/spoiler]
i mean i had to take a fukcing step back because that shook me in the best possible way god bless you chan-wook

It's been some time since I've seen a movie that I had the feeling I should/could/would watch again and again and again but this... I definitely will.

A marvel on so many levels... the cinematography alone! And the soundtrack... and the acting. I adore this movie. It has not left my mind since I've seen it and it will be there for quite some time I think.

thank god i'm alive to watch this masterpiece over and over again

I'm so glad I came across this movie, it's one of my all time favorites now! I watched it with my roommate, who isn't much of a fan of foreign movies due to the captions she would have to follow. This movie literally converted her to watch more foreign films. It's filled with dark secrets, even darker characters and keep you on the edge of your seat.

This picture is a true marvel.

It defies romanticism, it defies comedy, it defies drama. This movie is entirely in it's own league and level.
It's sexy, and interesting, and captivating all at the same time.

It touches taboos, makes them feel completely normal. It drives the watcher to feel included.

This is a movie that everyone should watch.

Somehow I managed to come into this movie blind besides 'gay' and 'involves a handmaiden', and I am so glad I did. I thought it was just a straightforward if idiosyncratic love story through part one, so when parts two and three hit... I was floored. It balances so many tones so well- as a caper it had me on the edge of my seat trying to piece things together and hollering when a plan comes together, as a black comedy it had me chortling, and as a romance I was all in for these two. Hideko and Sookee are wrapped in layers of obfuscation and deception, but they find a connection anyway, getting to know each other and then getting to know each other all over again.

Kim Min-hee and Kim Tae-ri are both phenomenal, playing each part to perfection, from the masks they put up to the cores underneath. Tae-Ri a romantic trying to be a scoundrel and failing at first sight, endeared more and more with every moment. And Min-hee's a frozen, damaged soul who's given up on the world and putting up a perfect facade of naivete disguising cunning, but is slowly defrosted by Sookee's heart. She comes to warm life before our eyes while never losing that intellect. Cho Jin-woong is as disgusting as required, and Ha Jung-woo keeps up with the leads, running the gamut from 'smug snake not half as clever as he thinks' to 'actually much smarter than he seems and just projecting incompetence' to 'Still outplayed and wryly accepting defeat'. He finds the humanity in the character while never sugarcoating him either.

And the direction, script, and cinematography blend into a perfect whole. The usage of doors as a symbol of class, the little hints at the edge of the camera, how it gives you just enough information while holding back the answers... And for my part, I thought the sex scenes were very tasteful and artfully applied. The desire and lust is built up very well, the character work is never forgotten in the scenes themselves, and it captures that giggly, euphoric rush of trying something new that you both enjoy. And that's the key. The mutual enjoyment and delight the two have is always there, contrasted against the selfish lust of the men around them. They find sanctuary in each other, and the result is a fairy tale that's inspired, smart, and romantic in equal measure.

Wholly engrossing and highly satisfying. Could honestly watch this a hundred more times lol.

simply perfect, a true masterpiece!

I didn't think I could like a film as much as I liked Old Boy, but this film certainly comes close. We'll have to see how it survives the test of time in my eyes, but for the present time this is phenomenal.