A Filmmaker's Review: "The Handmaiden" (2016)

“The Handmaiden” is one of the most genre-blending films of this century and honestly, when I first started watching it I didn’t really have high expectations - which is also why I didn’t watch it when it came out. I thought it was yet another Korean Romantic Thriller, but when I finally watched it I was proved entirely wrong. By the second act, it becomes more and more clear that the storyline is more about secrecy, privacy and trust. I was initially confused by the entire storyline and the film was quite long in comparison to what I normally watch. The film requires you to pay extra attention to the story and the way in which it is covered. At the point where they are standing outside the mental asylum, the film goes back on itself entirely and shows how trust and trustworthiness in terms of deception and how people behave in front of other people are actually not what they seem. One thing you can actually make really clear about this film is that whatever you think the ending is going to be, that just is not it.

One of the great things about this movie is the way in which it is filmed. There are many point of view shots in which we see from the pickpocket’s point of view, the second act in which we see more things from the countess’s point of view and the third act in which we see things from the point of view of the pickpocket, countess, count and even the aunt before she died. There is something incredibly close about the point of view shots as well - it is like we’re being invited into a really private part of their lives and bar the grotesque that takes place, we are being made to see the most private details. Often there are details and exchanges left out for the sake of progression and well, if you watch it in detail you can actually see that the film constantly goes back on itself and there are only a few things that take place in the movie’s “present”.

Another thing that I found amazing about this movie is the way in which the countess manages to place herself in this moment in which she is in danger from every angle and yet, the woman has to remain calm. The actress portraying the countess is brilliant at composure and realism, to remain calm means to keep her life and so, when we watch her almost break character at the mental asylum, we initially don’t know why or to whom the character is being broken towards. But here’s the hint, she has her back to them and so, they don’t see her giggle. Instead, what we believe at this point is that she is giggling at the woman who is being taken away - then think about why she would be laughing in front of her. She definitely wouldn’t be because it would sabotage her plan. The plan has another plan layered on top of it and her laughter reflects the way in which the other woman is acting rather than the situation she has put her in.

All in all, this film has a multifaceted look at the way in which people deceive, but also the way in which it is built means that very small interactions between two people can be more telling than they intend to be. A mixture of amazing acting talent, brilliant writing and directing that makes the point of view shots make the movie seem super-invasive. The film is definitely a psychological thriller, but blended with romance, blended with some grotesque horror, blended with melodrama and a bunch of other sub-genres, this film makes for a great viewing experience which refuses to be tied down to one genre. The way in which the film’s context and acting makes for a better viewing experience means that the realism is mixed with dramatic minutes and scenes in the film which gives the audience a constant feed of information and the more we learn, the more we know about the characters. But, then again, the more we learn the more we realise that none of the characters are who we thought they were in the first place.