“The Handmaiden” Park Chan-wook’s adaptation of the fairy tale of “Liberation” and “Empire” *Spoiler alert

*This article touches on the ending of the story, so we recommend watching the movie before reading it.

“The Handmaiden” synopsis

Sukki, an orphan girl, starts working at the Kozuki family's mansion as a maid for Hideko, a noblewoman, for a certain job. Sukki, who was raised by a group of thieves, was secretly helping an old friend, a con artist, with his plans. The man entered the mansion as the Japanese "Count Fujiwara" and planned to marry Hideko and receive a huge amount of assets. Once he is done with his business, he plans to send Hideko to a mental hospital and take all of her assets. However, Sukki is instantly attracted to Hideko. Hideko was beautiful, pure, and had a similar background to herself. One night, the two finally get together. However, the "Earl"'s plans never stop, and the Kozuki family also hides a big secret.

Index

• From London in the 19th century to the Korean Peninsula in 1939
• Aim of major changes to the original work's "Donggaeshi"
• Something that represents the spirit of ``liberation''
• Escape from two empires
• Who will defeat “evil” in the end?
• "The Handmaiden" as a political fairy tale

From London in the 19th century to the Korean Peninsula in 1939

It's a beautiful, bold, and refreshing thriller movie.

For Park Oldboy '' (2003), `` Kind Geum-ja '' (2005), and `` Thirst '' (2009), ``The Handmaiden'' is undoubtedly a milestone. (Although the director himself is reluctant to be called a ``culmination.'') The entire film is filled with storytelling, visual beauty, and fetishistic attention to detail that attracts the viewer, and is one of the best in his filmography. It can be said that the level of perfection is outstanding.

The original work is `` Thorn Castle '' by British novelist Sarah Waters (published by Sogen Mystery Bunko). Chan-wook has brilliantly turned a work known as a masterpiece mystery that brilliantly deceives readers into a movie. The setting is from 19th century London in ``Jung Castle'' to the Korean peninsula in 1939 during the Japanese occupation. Of course, the characters' settings have also been replaced.

“The Handmaiden” preview

Suk-ki (Kim Tae-ri), an orphan girl, starts working at the Kozuki family's mansion as a maid for Hideko (Kim Min-hee), a noblewoman, for a certain job. Suk-ki, who was raised by a group of thieves, was secretly helping an old friend, a con artist (Ha Jung-woo), with his plans. The man entered the mansion as the Japanese "Count Fujiwara" and planned to marry Hideko and receive a huge amount of assets. Once he is done with his business, he plans to send Hideko to a mental hospital and take all of her assets. However, Sukki is instantly attracted to Hideko. Hideko was beautiful, pure, and had a similar background to herself. One night, the two finally get together. However, the "Earl"'s plans never stop, and the Kozuki family also hides a big secret.

The thrill of the double-crossing deception, the delicate psychological depiction that gets close to the characters' inner lives, and the intensity of the erotic expressions that have been a hot topic since its release. Chan Oldboy,'' has created a suspense story with a unique depth and flavor while remaining faithful to the theme and mystery charm of the original work. The staff work is also sophisticated, and ` `IT/It Once you see it, it's over.'' (2017) and other Hollywood films, and Ryu Sung-hee, a production designer who has worked on films such as " Memories of Murder " (2003) and " Mother " (2009), created the screen. You will be amazed by the power and beauty of each shot. Most of all, Chan-wook's direction is captivating, as he shows off the entire length of 145 minutes (theatrically released version) without letting up.

The reason why I wrote down (somewhat hastily) the charm of the work in advance is that I will be referring to the specific development of the story in this article. In creating ``The Handmaiden'' from ``Jeon's Castle'', Chan-wook made major changes to the original work, and these changes led to a theme unique to this work that was not found in the original work. What exactly did Chan-wook set up in such a complicated world of stories? The keywords are ``liberation'' and ``empire.''

Aim of major changes to the original work's "Donggaeshi"