Going into the theater, I expected something a bit different from what I encountered with this film. I expected a dreary and dark thriller that would lack the coherency of Chan-wook Park's (Oldboy) past filmography. Yet, The Handmaiden is most definitely my favorite film that Park has directed. It is a long film, but almost all of the scenes add to the building tension of the characters. Park's final product is reminiscent of the storytelling methods used by Quentin Tarantino (Pulp Fiction, The Hateful Eight, Django Unchained, Kill Bill). The technical aspects are brilliant and constantly catch the audience off-guard with a series of twists.
Throughout the film, a symphony of sweet melodies and tense pitches add to the perfection of the story. This is my favorite non-lyrical soundtrack of the year so far, and it will be damn-near impossible for any other film to beat it. The melodic tracks add a charm to the characters, as the audience tries to figure out who is good and who is bad. At the same time, there are tracks that have the intensity of 80s horror themes. The balance between all of the instruments creates a tone that is coherent, but everchanging.
I warn readers that this film is not for the faint-hearted. Filled with nudity and gory sequences, the darkness of the film is overwhelming. However, if you appreciate modern cinema even in grotesque forms, this film is a must-see. Although it is grotesque, most viewers will find something to enjoy about it. You can focus on the filming techniques or the setting to move through the film without disgust. Or at times, you can close your eyes and listen to the soundtrack. In order to get the full experience though, you must watch the full 2.5 hour film and focus on everything at once. Then, once you realize that you missed something, you can watch it again in fragments to see what is going on behind the outer-shell of the story.
The Bottom Line: This film ranks within my top 10 for the year because of the depth in storytelling and technical aspects.
Score: 9.7/10
Throughout the film, a symphony of sweet melodies and tense pitches add to the perfection of the story. This is my favorite non-lyrical soundtrack of the year so far, and it will be damn-near impossible for any other film to beat it. The melodic tracks add a charm to the characters, as the audience tries to figure out who is good and who is bad. At the same time, there are tracks that have the intensity of 80s horror themes. The balance between all of the instruments creates a tone that is coherent, but everchanging.
I warn readers that this film is not for the faint-hearted. Filled with nudity and gory sequences, the darkness of the film is overwhelming. However, if you appreciate modern cinema even in grotesque forms, this film is a must-see. Although it is grotesque, most viewers will find something to enjoy about it. You can focus on the filming techniques or the setting to move through the film without disgust. Or at times, you can close your eyes and listen to the soundtrack. In order to get the full experience though, you must watch the full 2.5 hour film and focus on everything at once. Then, once you realize that you missed something, you can watch it again in fragments to see what is going on behind the outer-shell of the story.
The Bottom Line: This film ranks within my top 10 for the year because of the depth in storytelling and technical aspects.
Score: 9.7/10
Image credit: By tenasia10 - https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=kbknOaI-4pI, CC BY 3.0, https://commons.wikimedia.org/w/index.php?curid=52956567
