Films The Handmaiden

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The Handmaiden poster

Film · 2016

The Handmaiden

Original titleAh-ga-ssi (The Handmaiden)

Directed by Park Chan-Wook · starring Kim Min-hee, Kim Tae-ri and Ha Jung-woo

  • 2 h 24 min
  • 18
  • Romance · Drama · Suspense
  • South Korea
  • Released in the UK 13 April 2017
  • 7.8 AverageMovieNCo
  • 7.5 Users12 votes
  • 8.1 Critics7 reviews
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Synopsis

The korean cinematographer Chan-wook Park comes back to his country to record this free adaptation of the Sarah Waters's Book 'Fingersmith'. His new thriller takes place during the Japanese occupation of Korea, and it tells the story about a con man who hires a female thief in order to help him with a twisted plan: to become a personal servant of a rich heir woman, and once she is at her house, seduce her in order to get all her money. Chan-wook Park ('Oldboy', 'Stoker'), directs this time the Korean actors Jung-woo Ha ('Chugyeogja', 'Hwanghae'), Min-hee Kim ('Right now, wrong then') and Jin-woong ('Amsal') in this thriller that is gonna be released at the Official Section of 2016 Cannes Film Festival.

Where to watch The Handmaiden

All the options

Available now in the UK:

The essentials

Runtime
144 min2 hours and 24 minutes
Budget
€8.8mMoho Films
Box office
£817,153in UK
Rating
18Suitable only for adults
How long is The Handmaiden?
2 hours and 24 minutes (144 minutes).
When was The Handmaiden released in the UK?
It was released in the UK on 13 April 2017.
Who directed The Handmaiden?
Park Chan-Wook.
Who is in The Handmaiden?
It stars Kim Min-hee, Kim Tae-ri, Ha Jung-woo and Jo Jin-woong.
Where can I watch The Handmaiden?
In the UK it is available with a subscription on Mubi and with a channel on Apple TV and a channel on Prime Video.
How much did The Handmaiden make?
It took £817,153 in UK. It cost €8.8 million.
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Cast

Full cast (10)
Director
Park Chan-Wook
Writers
Jeong Seo-kyeong, Park Chan-Wook
Producers
Park Chan-Wook

Videos and trailers

All 2 videos
'The Handmaiden' Official International Trailer 1:0429 July 2016

Photos and posters

All 23 photos

Reviews

All 7 reviews
7.5 12 votes
  • 100 %
  • 925 %
  • 842 %
  • 717 %
  • 60 %
  • ≤517 %

What the critics say average 8.1 from 7 outlets

  • 9.0 The Hollywood ReporterDeborah Young Expectations are fully met in Park Chan-wook?s exquisitely filmed 'The Handmaiden' (Agassi), an amusingly kinky erotic thriller and love story that brims with delicious surprises, making its… Read
  • 8.3 IndiewireEric Kohn No matter its overarching ridiculousness, The Handmaiden remains a hugely enjoyable dose of grotesque escapism from a master of the form. Read
  • 8.2 The VergeEmily Yoshida By replacing the class system of Victorian England with the dynamic of the occupier and occupied, Park has tapped into something uniquely complex about a chapter of history that is rarely explored… Read

Box office

Weekend by weekend
  • Budget €8.8m
  • UK £817,153

Awards

All the awards

Soundtrack

All 10 songs
  1. The Song at the End of the CenturyKim Tae-ri
  2. Old Scars and Fresh Pink WoundsTim Ribchester
  3. The Saviour Who Came to Tear My Life ApartVocals, Kim Min-hee
  4. Ladies are the Dolls of MaidsVocals, Kim Tae-ri

Trivia

  • 116 countries

    ''The Handmaiden'' has been pre-sold to 116 territories ahead of its theatrical opening.

  • Cannes

    ''The Handmaiden'' is gonna be released in the official section of 2016 Cannes Film Festival.

  • Based on 'Fingersmith'

    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.

  • 1,500 applicants

    Actress Tae-ri Kim was selected for her role through auditions which had approximately 1,500 applicants.

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