The Handmaiden

Today GLAAD announced their 2017 Media Awards nominees, which included plenty of exciting milestones and achievements, but also some disappointing news about the current state of Hollywood. It seems that in our post-Election world, there’s no such thing as good news without a side of bad (or lately, more like a four-course meal of bad with a side of good).

According to most people (on the internet, which is where most people live now), 2016 was horrific. It was a year in which we lost some of our best and brightest artists, a year in which we elected a president who will, according to Kate McKinnon’s Hilary Clinton, “kill us all,” and it was a year in which many blockbusters fulfilled the “bust” end of that promise. Despite all of this, 2016 delivered some truly remarkable films; because of all of this, we needed them.

How you define the “best” of something varies from one person to the next. The “best” movies can be the ones crafted with the most artistry, the ones that feel particularly culturally significant, the ones you can’t shake hours, days, or months after seeing them. Or perhaps the best films are the ones you simply love the most and are eager returning to again and again.

What a difference six months makes. Back in the summer, the world of film was all gloom and doom. Television was great; the movies were terrible. One respected critic even speculated that someday the world would look back at 2016 as “the year that movies died.”

Is there a more stressful month for film fans than December? Not only are most of us trying to stay on top of our normal holiday stress  —  picking up gifts for our family and friends and dreading time spent in airports and train stations  —  we are also trying to fit in as many movies as possible before the end of the year. Whether you write about film, participate in an office Academy Award pool, or just like watching good movies, there’s nothing like cramming movies into every spare second of an already packed mo

After making his English-language debut with Stoker, Park Chan-wook returns to his native South Korea for The Handmaiden, a gloriously sensual and impressively layered thriller that’s every bit as Hitchcockian and gothic as its predecessor. In a brilliantly repurposed adaptation of Sarah Waters’ Fingersmith, Director Park changes the setting of the story to Colonial-era Korea, which serves as a nuanced backdrop for what is his most masterful masterpiece to date.

After making his English-language debut with Stoker, Park Chan-wook returned to his native South Korea for The Handmaiden, a sensual and gracefully twisted new film that is equal parts clever thriller and, surprisingly enough, romantic drama. To say that this is his best film to date is an astonishing suggestion — this is the man behind Oldboy, after all — but a second viewing validated my belief that it is his masterpiece. As a longtime fan, I was anxious to interview Director Park, who was far less intimidating than I had imagined. He is warm and gracious, and spent the duration slowly pacing around the room (in a great sweater, by the way), speaking his thoughts to a translator with the patient consideration of someone dictating a heartfelt letter.

Y’know those back to school ads for Staples? The ones that repurpose the Christmas standard “It’s the Most Wonderful Time of the Year” to celebrate children going back class? I always hated those ads as a kid. Going back to school was not a time to celebrate. It was a time for grief and mourning.

After making his English-language debut with Stoker, South Korean director Park Chan-wook is back with The Handmaiden, a new thriller based on Sarah Waters’ acclaimed British novel Fingersmith. And judging by this stunning and enigmatic new trailer, Chan-wook’s latest is every bit as sinister, seductive and visually sublime as his previous efforts.