The Handmaiden: Korean Cinema Final.

The Handmaiden: Korean Cinema Final.

“The Handmaiden” is a psychological thriller movie that depicts the cultural and political setting of Korea and Japan. The film explores issues of oppression, political differences, classism, femininity, and cultural appropriation in contemporary Korean and Japanese culture. While it is an adaptation of a novel, the movie possesses analysis worth characteristics and thematic constructions that spike interest in critiques and viewers.

Question 1:

The movie “The Handmaiden” is well-made. The film falls into this category because of the intricate script and flow of a story. As opposed to high concept movies whose plots can be explained by a simple sentence, to understand the film, one needs to watch the whole film. The directors divide the movie into parts that tell the story in a different sequence than the expected order of events of a high-concept screenplay. The ideas in the film may not be understood just by a simple plot explanation, instead of by watching the whole movie which integrates all the happenings.

Question 2:

The portrayal of female characters in the film is jumbled. They exude different individualities as well as various roles. In this film, feminine sensibility shows the cultural expectations that their male counterparts expected from them. Lee (pp.79) notes that the women in the movie experienced violence perpetrated mostly by men. Unquestioning loyalty and obedience towards the wishes of the men portrayed by the film’s adaptation of women play the role of revealing masculinity expectation and the power dynamics between genders. Using female sensibility to tell this inequality covers sexual oppression which shows the intimate and shameful aspects of femininity and masculinity. The relationship is also useful in encompassing the hierarchical dictatorship of the mix of culture and appropriation into other cultures.

Question 3:

The setting of a movie explains to the viewers the cultural background of the idea. The choice setting for “The Handmaiden” is a replication of the original context in the novel adapted to fit a new environment that is telling of deep-rooted culture and way of life. As Lee says “the film shows that it is possible to make productive cultural interpretations by revisiting the past in the light of the present.” (Lee, pp.78). The producer uses Sook-Hee and Count Fujiwara to portray the nature of Korea. Characteristics of both Sook-Hee and Fujiwara create a miserable and crime-ridden Korea representation. The presentation of Japan by Hideko is also telling of the high regard of Japanese culture and the low regard for Korean values. Korea appears innocent and pure in Sook-Hee’s naivety and compares to the brutality of Hideko to the handmaidens, and her uncle’s adopted Japanese cruelty.

Question 4:

Thematic representation is crucial to every producer and ‘The Handmaiden’ presents several such illustrations. According to Lee, members of the underclass live in uncivilized dwellings, as perceived by the upper class of colonial society (Lee, pp.83). The director portrays minjoong through the exploitation and easy manipulation of the lower levels and their expected change of behaviour once under Hideko or her uncle’s instruction. The less fortunate in the society become maids to Hideko and her uncle, live in deplorable closets compared to their master’s bed and are required to do despicable duties. The count takes advantage of Sook-Hee’s family poverty.  He promises her money and fancy dresses, enough to get her and her family out of poverty and crime. He controls Sook-Hee through her vulnerabilities and uses her lack of education as a lee-way to fool her.

Question 5:

Early Japanese culture has values and pathos dictated by the wise of old times. Confucian ideals, of particular relevance to the film, propose filial piety, respect, courage, humility dutifulness, honesty, and wisdom for people to fulfil humanity’s purpose (Rianey, pp.41). In the film, Confucianism plays a significant role in defining the relationship between Hideko and her uncle. Hideko has to bow down to him like the maids, and this is a sign of a differentiated hierarchy and the expected respect form the subordinates. The evolution of Hideko and Sookie’s relationship defies all the teachings, the relationship is telling to the growth of contemporary age and the actual ageing of the social norms that adapt to change. The director sits on the fence about the Confucian ideals, especially filial piety, honesty and humility. The defiance of Hideko and her ultimate escape from her uncle’s dictatorship shows his disagreement with the filial piety ideal of Confucianism. He builds the female character to be strong and to have the courage and wisdom.

Question 6:

The Hallyu wave requires for Korean cultural expressions to be captivating and suitable for targeted and other audiences. The film into consideration the casting, set design, location and costumes to appeal to the intellect and emotion of the viewer. The masters dress in proper Japanese attire while the handmaids dress in traditional Korean dresses. As Lee explains it, the different identities come out in the clothing worn by the characters (Lee, pp.84). It is evident in the wrongful admission of Sook-Hee into a mental hospital, the significant differentiation of dressing. For the set design, only the servant’s wing is Korean design (Lee, pp.83). This set captures the interest of an intellectual audience looking to understand the stemmed oppression of Korean people by the Japanese. The presentation of the movie in three parts increases its appeal and captures the interest of a variation of audiences.

Question 7:

The Asian education system comes out as strict, dictated, and harsh. Hideko and her aunt read the pornographic books religiously, and failure resulted in punishment. The forceful indoctrination into the reading culture gives little room for individuality and self-exploration for Hideko and her aunt. Mental exhaustion and fatigue set in and overwhelms them. Lady Hideko feels exhausted as she heads to read the books and has expressed her unwillingness to continue learning. She remarks “He makes me read them every day, I’m sick of it”, insinuating she reads them not at will but by her uncle’s will (The Handmaiden 14:44-14:48). The uncle’s crude methods of teaching contribute to Hideko’s mental imprisonment and her aunt’s. The repercussions become fatal for her aunty and nearly fatal for her as she also tries to commit suicide.

Question 8:

‘The Handmaiden’ is a yeosong feminist film. While it may seem that the business deal between Hideko and Fujiwara presents him as a knight in shining armour, it could also be a way out for both of them to get out of their distinct prisons. According to Lee, “it might be argued that the film’s ending showing Hideko, and Sook-Hee gaining their freedom is a sign of female emancipation” (Lee, pp.82). In the end, it is Sookie and Hideko who outwit Fujiwara and manage to create new identities to escape the country. It is telling of the influence of men on the lives of women and the constant dependence for approval. The film serves to show women their capabilities and ability for courage and wisdom to outsmart the men. The film appeals to the female gaze, and a female audience discovers their power and ability to explore their sexual liberty with other women.

Question 9:

One might not understand what the movie is about at the beginning, owing to the producer’s ability to build suspense. However, the tactic to divide the film into parts that explain each other is ingenious. The different parts then help the viewer understand the movie by introducing a new view in showing snippets from different parts to illustrate the trickery and manipulation of Sookie, Hideko and the Count. The twists introduced by the second and third part of the movie add to the intensity of the mystery and intrigue the viewer to watch the whole film. The tactic is quite fitting for the script of the movie because it involves two manipulations between the same three people with all of them, thinking they are the masterminds. The revelations in the subsequent second and third part, including the narrations, contribute to the final understanding of the viewer.

The movie may not be an exact adaptation of the novel. However, it suits the Korean culture and juxtaposes it to the Japanese culture within the contemporary age. The film exhibits thematic representations of culture, femininity, masculism, colonial oppression, and sexual expression. Critiques offer different opinions of this film but agree that the film is telling of the perception of Korean people during colonial times. Through these themes, the producers create an intriguing and multifaceted film suitable for a diverse audience.

Work Cited.

Lee, Seungyeon. “From Victorian England to Colonial Korea: Desire and Subversion in Chan-Wook Park’s Ah-Ga-Ssi (The Handmaiden).” Literature, Memory, Hegemony, 2018, pp. 77–89. Crossref, doi:10.1007/978-981-10-9001-1_5.

Rainey, Lee Dian. Confucius and Confucianism: The Essentials. 1st ed., Wiley-Blackwell, 2010.