We are thrilled to be joined on this episode of East Asia for All by Dr. As part of a larger genre of Korean films set in the period of imperial Japanese rule, The Handmaiden also reflects the complicated relationship of South Korea to remembrances of its colonial past. The Handmaiden is full of surprises and unexpected turns, a beautiful attention to color, texture, and light, as well as a thoughtful reflection of complex colonial relations.īut what can we learn about historical colonial Korea through The Handmaiden, a fictional story which was inspired by a novel set in a world thousands of miles away? Park does a masterful job showing his characters navigating the colonial hierarchy through the use of color-coded subtitles (white for Korean language, yellow for Japanese), characters’ linguistic and sartorial choices, and the development of Sook-hee, Lady Hideko, and others. As the film progresses, the plot thickens, and few characters are who they seem to be.
Like Waters’ original novel, the film follows two women - a mistress and her maid - as they fall in love, despite the fact that the young maid (Sook-hee) is actually a pickpocket in cahoots with a con man attempting to swindle the mistress (Lady Hideko) of her fortune. The Handmaiden, while not comparable to Park’s other works in many ways, does include graphic scenes, including those of a violent and sexual nature.
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