The Handmaiden (2016) Ft. Adan Franco

In the lush countryside of Japanese-occupied Korea in the 1930’s, an heiress to a large fortune stares outside the misty window wondering if there is anything more to life than what she currently knows. Housed by her overbearing uncle and bound to the confines of the luxurious estate since childhood, the structure mimics that of her fractured identity: forever split between the lineage of Korea and Japan.

 

Park Chan-wook’s 2016 erotic psychological thriller, The Handmaiden, weaves together a labyrinthian narrative whose subversions leave the viewer guessing at every turn. A meditation on exploitation, manipulation, and objectification found throughout history, characters are left to decide whether or not they wish to remain in the patriarchal structure that has imprisoned them for as long back as they can remember.

 

Filled with immaculate imagery and a stirring soundscape to match, this movie delves beyond the illusory superficial layers of its own making to construct a tender and poetic center at the heart of it all.

 

Special thanks to Adan “Ardough” Franco for joining us for this episode and for recommending this movie to us. As always, thank you for listening and we hope you enjoy the discussion. 

 

Where to watch:

Amazon Prime (Stream)

Vudu (Rent)

 

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Send us questions, feedback, and film recommendations at:

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