The Handmaiden

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The movie in 3 sentences

Sex is one of the most overused elements in movies, and often one of the most poorly used. I was a little worried about The Handmaiden when it was announced because the wrong kind of sex scenes could have easily made a movie like this feel cheap or exploitative.

But I think the film mostly gets it right. There is sexual tension and attraction throughout, and the sex is obviously a major part of the story, but it never completely overwhelms everything else the movie is doing. The mystery, manipulation, romance, performances, and visual storytelling are all strong enough that the sexuality feels like one part of a much bigger whole.

The best way I can describe the movie is something like a Rebecca-style Hitchcockian thriller mixed with the extremity and depravity of films like Oldboy and Battle Royale, along with the emotional and sexual frankness of Blue Is the Warmest Colour. It is a strange combination, but somehow it works.

The performances are also excellent. The two women have a romance that feels surprisingly tender and sincere despite everything happening around them. It is passionate and explicit, but also genuinely moving, with a frankness about female sexuality that you still rarely see in mainstream movies. The Count is great too—charismatic enough that he remains entertaining to watch even when he is doing completely despicable things.