02-24-2017, 11:49 AM
From the director of Old Boy (which I loved), and very much a change of pace for him.
Actually, I recently watched Stoker by him and found it a bit tedious (with Nicole Kidman a secondary character doing the Stepford Wife routine).
But The Handmaiden is a pleasant surprise. Erotic, cerebral, lots of twists and turns. Sumptuous cinematography, set in the time when Japan had annexed Korea. Lots of intrigue in a cultures-in-conflict setting.
No swordfights. No Nicole Kidman being robotically prim and proper. No hammer fight. No Bollywood dance number. But this totally won me over. Best watched without reading too much about it.
Caution: Could be elation-inducing.
Actually, I recently watched Stoker by him and found it a bit tedious (with Nicole Kidman a secondary character doing the Stepford Wife routine).
But The Handmaiden is a pleasant surprise. Erotic, cerebral, lots of twists and turns. Sumptuous cinematography, set in the time when Japan had annexed Korea. Lots of intrigue in a cultures-in-conflict setting.
No swordfights. No Nicole Kidman being robotically prim and proper. No hammer fight. No Bollywood dance number. But this totally won me over. Best watched without reading too much about it.
Caution: Could be elation-inducing.