‘The Handmaiden’ Trailer: ‘Oldboy’s’ Park Chan-wook Directs Lurid Revenge Cannes Drama
If you’ve felt the void of violent revenge thrillers elegantly filmed by acclaimed Korean filmmakers, then you’re in luck. Park Chan-wook’s highly-anticipated “The Handmaiden” will be in theaters soon. Adapted from Sarah Waters’ novel “Fingersmith” set in Victorian-era Britain, Park transposes the action to 1930s Korea under Japanese colonialism and follows Hideko (Kim Min-hee), a Japanese heiress searching for a husband to maintain her social standing and manage her estate. Devious con man Fujiwara (Ha Jung-woo) believes he’s the man for the job and hires Sook-hee (Kim Tae-ri) to pose as Hideko’s young maid in order to deceive her into marrying him. Unfortunately, the plan goes sideways when the two women fall for each other. Watch the trailer for the film below.
Park is arguably best known for his film “Oldboy,” the second installment in his Vengeance trilogy, preceded by “Sympathy for Mr. Vengeance” and followed by “Sympathy for Lady Vengeance.” “Oldboy” follows Oh Dae-su (Choi Min-sik), a businessman imprisoned for 15 years without knowing the identity of his captor or his captor’s motives and who decides to take revenge. The film won Grand Prix at the 2004 Cannes Film Festival and received widespread critical acclaim upon release. His last film “Stoker,” starring Mia Wasikowska, Matthew Goode, and Nicole Kidman, also received positive critical reviews.
“The Handmaiden” premiered at this year’s Cannes Film Festival. It will be released in theaters on October 14th from Amazon Studios and Magnolia Pictures.
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