The Handmaiden

The Handmaiden

You're the one being tricked.

Directed by Park Chan-wook

Produced by Moho Film, Yong Film

2016145 min8.2 / 10

A lush, intricately plotted erotic thriller built on deception and hidden desire, where a con game becomes entangled with genuine romantic and sexual connection between two women.

1930s Korea, in the period of Japanese occupation, a new girl, Sook-hee, is hired as a handmaiden to a Japanese heiress, Hideko, who lives a secluded life on a large countryside estate with her domineering Uncle Kouzuki. But the maid has a secret. She is a pickpocket recruited by a swindler posing as a Japanese Count to help him seduce the Lady to steal her fortune.

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Questions people ask

  • Is The Handmaiden one of a kind? Yes, very. More singular than 96% of films.

  • Is The Handmaiden sad? Somewhat. More sad than 70% of films.

  • Is The Handmaiden scary? Somewhat. More frightening than 67% of films.

  • Does The Handmaiden end with hope? Not especially. Less hopeful than 64% of films.

  • Is The Handmaiden violent? About average. Almost exactly mid-range.

  • Is The Handmaiden easy watching? About average. Almost exactly mid-range.

These describe how the film comes across, measured across the whole film and compared with other well-known films. They are not a content list — nothing here was counted or checked scene by scene, so for age-suitability or specific content use a classification board or a dedicated content-warning service.

Written about

95/ 100

Cinnamon Score

How much this film gives you that nothing else will, and whether it delivers.

There is almost nothing else like this.

Rarity95

How unlike any other film this one feels

Surprise94

How much more it delivers than it promises

Love96

How much audiences actually like it

The highest scores in the catalogue →

Ensemble

Everything like The Handmaiden, and what each one shares →

Like The Handmaiden

Nearest across the full emotional profile.

Same Mood as The Handmaiden

Nearest on what's most distinctive about this one.

Like The Handmaiden, But Darker

Similar, pushed toward heavier and more intense.

Like The Handmaiden, But Lighter

Similar, pushed toward warmer and easier.

Like The Handmaiden, But Less Popular

Same territory, far fewer people have seen it.

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