Personal Response
This movie left me completely speechless. I absolutely loved every single part of it. Watching it showed me how important it is to be fully concentrated in a movie that is this complex from the very beginning. The first time I started it, I wasn’t really paying attention and I missed a lot of details. I got lost in the story, so when I came back to finish it, I decided to restart it even though I was already one hour in. That completely changed my experience. Everything suddenly made sense, and I realized I had missed important information that was necessary to follow the story. If I had continued from where I left off, I probably would not have understood anything.
One of my favorite things about the movie was how the director took us through three different plot twists. It was very clever and very creative, and it really shows how Korean directors are not doing the usual things Hollywood does. They show their culture through historical context and through the way they build each character with so many layers. It is really interesting that Western audiences can enjoy a movie like this so much simply because of how well it is made.
Something that stood out to me was how the movie shows Japan’s oppression of Korea. We constantly see characters wanting to be more Japanese, because during that time being Japanese meant being more elite. When a character speaks Japanese, they are automatically treated as someone with more value. Hideko tries to make Sook more Japanese by teaching her the language, the writing system, the culture, and even the aesthetics. Count Fujiwara cannot wait to run off to Japan, and even the uncle created his own Japanese name. They are all trying to run away from Korea because Japanese identity was considered superior. The Japanese are wealthy and educated in this world, while Sook and her family survive by stealing and scamming. I thought this contrast clearly showed the class and cultural hierarchy during the occupation.
Another thing I kept thinking about was the explicit sex scenes. Usually I do not think scenes like that are necessary, but in this movie they actually help tell the story. They show the real connection between Sook and Hideko, the passion, and the way they genuinely love each other. Hideko is clearly disgusted by men, so it feels important to see how much she is attracted to Sook. In this case, those scenes add to the story instead of just being there to be sexy.
I absolutely loved The Handmaiden. The twists, the tension, the cultural layers, the cinematography, everything. It is a movie that stays with you long after it ends.