film review:: The Handmaiden (2016) - Park Chan-Wook - 8-9/10

A return to form for this masterful South Korean auteur - welcome back Park Chan-Wook! After a string of mediocre English language films from Hollywood, Park returns to his motherland and delivers one of his most vibrant and complex tales full of deceit, manipulation and eroticism.

It's a love triangle story on the surface, but deeply intertwined in deception for personal gain where simply double crossing is child's play. A young handmaiden comes to Japan to work for a rich beautiful young women. Before she arrives, there's already a conspiracy to fool the women and take her wealth. The master plan was instigated by a charming Count, a fake aristocrat playing the part to entice the rich women into their trap. However as the story unfolds, things get a lot more complicated, an intimate relationship with the young handmaiden and the rich women develops, jealousy and tensions grow between the three of them.

A lot of Chan-Wook's finest work like masterpieces Oldboy Movie (2003), Sympathy for Mr. Vengeance (2002) and I'm a Cyborg But That's OK (2006) have quite complex scripts that are so brilliantly executed. It's hard to top that and return to such high level of film making... but The Handmaiden is just that in spades, with so many twists that leave you guessing right up till the end.

I don't really want to say more about this film as it will only reveal spoilers, but think of Old Boy where as the film progresses, new information comes to hand which flips everything on it's head. Much like the story arc of classics Fight Club (1999), The Cabinet of Dr. Caligari (1920) and Amores Peros (2000). Having said that, try to go into this film with an open mind and no expectations, the less you try to anticipate, the more you will enjoy this brilliant film!

On closing I will say I don't understand why there's such mixed reviews of this masterclass in cinema... I guess many film goers nowadays don't want to be challenged and think beyond the latest blockbuster. Films like this should be seen by all, especially with the current TV revival of well written and complex stories. Yet somehow those same people who are thirsty for the latest compelling drama series drop the ball when going to watch a movie and are content with some tripe from Hollywood and discount it as mere "entertainment", yet continue to be disappointed by going back for more... This still baffles me but I have hope that more movie goers will start to search for quality films that are up to the level of films like The Handmaiden, that require deep thought and reflection, thrilling and unique experiences that encourage multiple viewing to fully grasp.