Park Chan-wook

The Handmaiden (Park Chan-wook)

Posted on by Joe Bowman

handmaiden-01The Handmaiden. Park Chan-wook. 2016. South Korea.

I’m vaguely self-conscious for all the lesbian films on my decade list that are directed by men (especially some of the higher ranking titles), but for pure, superficial entertainment value, very few films captured my attention and held it as tightly as Park Chan-wook’s unexpected adaptation of the British novel Fingersmith set in Japanese-occupied Korea in the 1930s, The Handmaiden (2016). Though certainly packed full of perversion, fetish, and vice (though its central lesbian love story is infinitely more tender than in, say, De Palma’s Passion), Park Chan-wook loosens his grip on the sort of graphic violence that dominated his earlier work, in turn highlighting his strengths as a filmmaker.

handmaiden-06Additionally, The Handmaiden brought deserved attention to its captivating star, Kim Min-hee, who has proven here and in her collaborations with Hong Sang-soo to be the most exciting actor working in South Korea. I previously wrote about the film as part of my Best of 2016 round-up. Here is the link.

handmaiden-12With: Kim Min-hee, Kim Tae-ri, Ha Jung-woo, Jo Jin-woong, Moon so-ri

Best of 2016: Film

Posted on by Joe Bowman

elle-01At long last, I present my Top 10 Films of 2016. You have a rape comedy, two queer films directed by heterosexual men, an alien invasion flick, an Italian sex romp, a road movie across the Red States of America, the return of a beloved childhood hero, a dystopian nightmare, a journey into the spirit world, and a homoerotic retelling of the life of a Catholic saint. There’s no point in getting into the many films I didn’t get around to seeing.

  1. Elle. Paul Verhoeven. France/Germany/Belgium.
  2. American Honey. Andrea Arnold. UK/USA.
  3. A Bigger Splash. Luca Guadagnino. Italy/France.
  4. The Ornithologist (O Ornitólogo). João Pedro Rodrigues. Portugal/France/Brazil.
  5. The Lobster. Yorgos Lanthimos. Greece/Ireland/Netherlands/UK/France.
  6. Cemetery of Splendor. Apichatpong Weerasethakul. Thailand/UK/France/Germany/Malaysia/South Korea/Mexico/USA/Norway.
  7. The Handmaiden. Park Chan-wook. South Korea.
  8. Moonlight. Barry Jenkins. USA.
  9. Pee-wee’s Big Holiday. John Lee. USA.
  10. Arrival. Denis Villeneuve. USA.

happiest-day-in-the-lifeHere are the honorable mentions for the year, in no particular order. I haven’t gotten around to writing about Juho Kuosmanen’s The Happiest Day in the Life of Olli Mäki (Hymyilevä mies) or Gastón Solnicki’s Kékszakállú, but I’ll update the links once I have. NOTE: I’ve also added Anna Biller’s The Love Witch and may continue to amend the honorable mentions throughout the month… and also Mike Mills’ 20th Century Women.

aquariusAnd two additional categories:

Best of 2016: #7. The Handmaiden (Park Chan-wook)

Posted on by Joe Bowman

handmaiden-017. The Handmaiden. Park Chan-wook. South Korea.

Inspired by the 2002 novel Fingersmith by Sarah Waters, which was more directly adapted by the BBC in 2005 miniseries starring Sally Hawkins, Park Chan-wook’s The Handmaiden shifts its tale to Japanese-occupied Korea in the 1930s where a young pickpocket (Kim Tae-ri) and a dashing con man (Ha Jung-woo) plot together to swindle a wealthy, reclusive Japanese heiress (Kim Min-hee). What follows is a pulpy, steamy bout of stylized lesbian intrigue. The Handmaiden is basically a Hollywood noir about a quartet of duplicitous criminals with constantly shuffling allegiances and betrayals seen through a quintessentially astute and mannered British perspective, dressed up as a glossy Korean S&M melodrama.

handmaiden-03In his first feature following his tepid Hollywood debut, Stoker (which, at least, featured a great performance by Nicole Kidman, if nothing else), The Handmaiden shows Chan-wook utilizing all of his strengths as a director without the emphasis on violence that has dominated most of his previous work. The Handmaiden certainly has its share of perversions and absurdity, but it showcases a less brutal Chan-wook at the top of his game. While its final act isn’t quite as strong as its wickedly entertaining first two, I had more fun watching The Handmaiden than anything else I saw in the theatre this year.

handmaiden-001The Handmaiden premiered at the Cannes Film Festival in May and was released theatrically earlier this year in the U.S. by Magnolia Pictures/Amazon Studios.

With: Kim Min-hee, Kim Tae-ri, Ha Jung-woo, Jo Jin-woong, Moon so-ri