The Handmaiden
In 1930s Korea, a girl is hired as a handmaiden to a Japanese heiress who lives a secluded life on a countryside estate. But the maid has a secret: She is a pickpocket recruited by a swindler to help seduce the Lady and steal her fortune.
- Rated
- Not Rated
- Runtime
- 2h 25m
- Released
- 2016
- Country
- South Korea
Details
Release year: 2016
Storyline
In 1930s Korea, a girl is hired as a handmaiden to a Japanese heiress who lives a secluded life on a countryside estate. But the maid has a secret: She is a pickpocket recruited by a swindler to help seduce the Lady and steal her fortune.
Top credits
Kim Min-hee — Lady Hideko
Ha Jung-woo — Count Fujiwara
Cho Jin-woong — Uncle Kouzuki
Moon So-ri — Aunt of Lady Hideko
Awards
1 win & 0 nominations
See all awards →Did you know
• The film title in Korean (Ah-ga-ssi) means ''The Lady'' referring to Lady Hideko, while the English/International title is The Handmaiden referring to Sook-hee.
• Based on the novel "Fingersmith" by Sarah Waters (published in 2002 by Virago Press). The novel is set in London during the 19th century, but the film is set in Korea in the 1930s, under Japanese colonial rule.
• Both Japanese and Korean were spoken in the film by the predominately Korean cast. Before shooting, the Korean actors were all assigned Japanese teachers to study the script and learn to speak Japanese. After the screening at Cannes, actress Kim Min-hee was applauded by Japanese journalists for her proficiency in Japanese.
Box Office
Gross (Domestic): $2,006,788
Opening Weekend (Domestic): $92,129 (2016-10-23)
User reviews
Not Old Boy, but that's OK
Park Chan-wook crafts another masterpiece!
Classy South Korean Erotic Thriller Divided in Three Parts
Technical specs
- Sound mix
- Dolby Digital, Dolby Atmos, Dolby Surround 7.1
- Aspect ratio
- 2.35 : 1
- Color
- Color
