The Handmaiden
8.216
3707 Votes
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In 1930s Korea, a swindler and a young woman pose as a Japanese count and a handmaiden to seduce a Japanese heiress and steal her fortune.

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Trailers & Clips
UK Promo
2017-03-31T16:51:17.000Z
UK Trailer
2017-03-09T12:54:54.000Z
Extended Preview
2017-01-17T17:49:04.000Z
Dress Up (Movie Clip)
2016-10-24T21:00:04.000Z
The House (Movie Clip)
2016-10-24T17:44:18.000Z
The Library (Movie Clip)
2016-10-24T01:44:31.000Z
The Kiss (Movie Clip)
2016-10-22T17:00:18.000Z
The Bath (Movie Clip)
2016-10-21T17:00:08.000Z
Official US Trailer
2016-07-29T17:02:31.000Z
Official International Trailer
2016-05-03T06:15:07.000Z
Official Int'l Special Trailer
2016-04-25T12:39:44.000Z
Images (Posters)
Images (Backdrops)
Cast
Kim Min-hee
Lady Hideko
Kim Tae-ri
Sook-hee
Ha Jung-woo
Count Fujiwara
Cho Jin-woong
Uncle Kouzuki
Kim Hae-sook
Ms. Sasaki
Moon So-ri
Hideko's Aunt
Lee Yong-nyeo
Bok-soon
Kwak Eun-jin
Kkeut-dan
Lee Dong-hwi
Goo-gai
Jo Eun-hyung
Young Hideko
Rina Takagi
Hideko's Mother
Han Ha-na
Junko
Lee Kyu-jung
Maid 1
Kim See-eun
Maid 2
Ha Si-yeon
Maid 3
Eun-yeong Kim
Maid 4
Jeong Ha-dam
Maid 5
Yoo Min-chae
Ggeut-dan
Won Geun-hui
Butler
Kim Jong-dae
Mansion Driver
Jang Han-sun
Kouzuki Porter
Kim Lee-woo
Japanese Officer 1
Shinsuke Fujimoto
Japanese Officer 2
Lee Ji-ha
Female Owner of Ryokan
Tomomitsu Adachi
Mental Hospital Doctor 1
Takashi Kakizawa
Mental Hospital Doctor 2
Seo-Yoon Hwang
Mental Hospital Nurse 1
Shin-hye Park
Mental Hospital Nurse 2
Lee Ji-hye
Young Hideko's Maid 1
So-Yeon Heo
Young Hideko's Maid 2
Lee Yoon-jae
'The Golden Lotus' Reading Guest 1
Choi Jong-ryul
'The Golden Lotus' Reading Guest 2
Kim Joon-woo
'The Golden Lotus' Reading Guest 3
Bae Il-hyuck
'The Golden Lotus' Reading Guest 4
Kim Soo-woong
'The Golden Lotus' Reading Guest 5
Yong-Hyun Jo
'The Golden Lotus' Reading Guest 6
Park Ki-ryung
'The Whip Speaks' Reading Guest 1
Choi Byung-mo
'The Whip Speaks' Reading Guest 2
Han Chang-hyun
'The Whip Speaks' Reading Guest 3
Kim In-woo
'The Whip Speaks' Reading Guest 4
Kwon Hyuk
'The Whip Speaks' Reading Guest 5
Hyung-tae Im
'The Whip Speaks' Reading Guest 6
Oh Man-seok
'Bells of Passion' Reading Guest 1
Kim Byung Gi
'Bells of Passion' Reading Guest 2
In-su Kim
'Bells of Passion' Reading Guest 3
Alexander Scarborough
Pyeonghwa Hotel Restaurant Manager
Jin-Chul Kim
Pyeonghwa Hotel Restaurant Guest 1
Do-Hyung Kim
Pyeonghwa Hotel Restaurant Guest 2
Eun-ji Hong
Pyeonghwa Hotel Restaurant Guest 3
Song Da-eun
Pyeonghwa Hotel Restaurant Guest 4
Jeong In-kyeom
Ronin 1
Nam Gyeong-min
Ronin 2
Ahn Seong-bong
Harbor Ticket Office Ronin
Seon Uk-hyeon
Harbor Ticket Office Staff
Lee In-chul
Photo Studio Owner
Details Of Movie
Music
Photos Chung Chung-hoon
Revenue 38600000
Location South Korea
Producer Syd Lim
Director Park Chan-wook
User Reviews
Reno May 16 2024 09:18:36 PM

**In the circle of romance, deceive and defraud.** Those who are into the world cinema, particularly the Korean, knows Park Chan-wook very well. But if you don't, then you must. His films are definitely for the grown ups. Like everybody else, my admiration for his work has started a decade ago with the film 'Oldboy'. He had tried his luck in Hollywood with 'Stoker'. Despite a good entertainer, it was criticised. I love Park Chan-wook doing hundred masterpieces like this in Korea than trying to do one in Hollywood. His ability to turn the good book into a great flick was phenomenal. Here it goes another one. This was based on the British novel 'Fingersmith' by Sarah Waters. The story of an orphan woman who assigned to be a maid for a young rich woman who is living under the shadow of her uncle since she has no parents. Yeah, I was expecting it, but I did not think it would be another masterpiece from the director. I even thought the ratings could be exaggerated, and the reviews from his die hard fans like Nolan's or QT's fans does. The timeline of the story was prior to Second World War Korea under the Japan rule. A perfect setting for such theme. The film opened like it is an average film. That's where all I got wrong. Or probably I judged it too soon. The storytelling was split into three parts and the first part was a bit mix of fun and like any film, introduction, the platform for the rest of the narration filled with surprises. The young orphan Sook-hee was recruited by a thief who is planning to trick a young woman named Lady Hideko with all the wealth left behind by her parents. The only obstacle for him is her uncle, a guardian. So Sook-hee becomes close to her. More than she had expected, but their plan is working. Now they have to wait for the perfect moment for a perfect strike. When it arrives, an unexpected twist takes the tale to go back to where the film originally had started. But even further earlier and this time, the perspective of the story was from the Lady Hdeko. > ❝So even if my love for you leads me to ruin, don't pity me.❞ So, with that flashback, the second part begins. But literally it was a series of twist, that keep explaining us in another angle of the whole scenario I had witnessed in the previous part. Believe me, I have never seen such a long twist before. I was like unmoved for that entire segment. One of the best things I have ever in a film. The praise must go to the author, but the director and his actors as well did a fine job. There's a twist in every scene. So, for that one must pay close attention to the first part, despite slow moving story. But above all, what I'm surprised was I did not know it was a lesbian film. Moreover, I did not think it could have bold scenes for such theme. Everything seemed perfect. I mean the erotic parts are sensual, but very artistic than unnecessary disturbance. Mainly because of stronger hold of the story narration than anything else. Even the pace picks up, like a crazy speed. Everything about the film you would learn in this section. All the secrets of the past revealed and what might comes are still kept under mysterious for the third and final part. The most awaited, the conclusion part begins forth. For everything we saw so far, what might come after makes this film at its best. Just like the mid part, this is also full of twists. Because it will going to tell who ends where and what they get. Over two hours long film, and every frame are worth. The casting was best and so the setting of the 1930s Korea. Especially I must applaud the filmmaker's effort to turn the original setting from Europe to East Asia. It was great, but still now and then you can see the influence of the original source. I mean western culture, names, architect references which might have come from the book. Not just the lesbian or a love triangle story, but something like a circle of love with deceive and defraud. You can notice that in the film poster with four main characters. So when it has a multiple strings attached, you could expect surprises/twists from each angle and it gives that more the convincingly. Put this into your must see list. This is not the first screen adaptation, but surely the best so far. Now we can expect a European or a Hollywood project in a big scale soon. Believe me the Oscars would pour in, because it's that kind of story. Highly recommended! _8/10_

CinemaSerf January 05 2023 11:36:18 AM

Talk about the best laid plans! This is a cracking, sexy, thriller set in Korea during the Japanese occupation of the 1930s. It centres around the charming, butter-wouldn't-melt "Sook-Hee" (Tae Ri Kim) who takes a job attending the wealthy "Lady Hideko" (Kim Min-hee). She lives on a grand estate with her cantankerous uncle "Kouzuki" (Cho Jin-woong) and is frankly rather low maintenance for her new maid. Pretty quickly, though, we begin to smell a rat! Is she what she seems, and what has the obviously duplicitous "Count" (Ha Jung-woo) got to do with things? Well gradually, we find out that there are schemes afoot to rob the lady of her fortune, her liberty - even her mind. What the plotting didn't take account for, though, was human nature. A bond gradually starts to build between the two women, a bond of friendship, of trust - of love! What happens next...? This benefits hugely from having a tightly-knit cast who work well together; a solid and intriguing story that marries the Machiavelian with the mischievous, the sexy with the sordid - and, it looks great too. The characters vacillate from being likeable, kinky, and often pretty loathsome in equal measure, but somehow there is always a sense that right will be done! I loved the ending, and the performances from the two women are engaging and captivating. Some of it isn't for the squeamish, but it flew by, is expertly crafted, and I thoroughly enjoyed it.