The Handmaiden

This years opening film is a masterful South-Korean thriller on love and vengeance, which has been hailed for its liberating depiction of female sexuality. “The Handmaiden” (Norwegian title: Kammerpiken) is based on Sarah Waters’ novel “Fingersmith”, a feministic suspense thriller portraying a female thief trying to take advantage of the upper classes. While the novel was set in Victorian times in England, the master auteur Park Chan-wook has relocated the setting to Japan-occupied Korea in the 1930s.

The film sets off with the false count Fujiwara hiring the young pickpocket Sook-he to be a handmaiden for the rich noblewomen Hideku. The plan is for Sook-he to seduce Hideku into marrying the false count Fujiwara, so that he can steal her fortune and then split it with Sook-he. All goes according to plan, until Sook-he seduces Hideku herself, rather than getting her to marry Fujiwara. From here the film progresses at an amazingly high tempo! Through the film consists of three acts, told from the three main characters’ perspective, old intrigues are unveiled, whilst twists and turns occur in the new plot.

Female sexuality is the main driving force of the plot, in line with the author's original intent for the book. However if a film like Fifty Shades of Grey was an example of how non-liberating explicit portrayals of female sexuality can be, The Handmaiden is an example of the opposite. The film is also Park Chan`s most audience-friendly work so far in his career. The horror and violence from his previous work is to a large extent replaced by love and thrilling suspense. In addition, The Handmaiden is actual eye-candy, surpassing most period dramas in exquisite production, design and picturesque locations. In other words, The Handmaiden is a treat that should not be missed.

Park Chan-wook is recognized as one of the most talented directors worldwide. He has directed a number of films, with Stoker, starring Nicole Kidman, and Oldboy, which won the Grand Prize in Cannes, being the most wellknown. The theme of vengeance is often a central driving force in his films, including The Handmaiden. Park has himself mentioned Sophokles, Shakespeare, Kafka and Dostojevsk, as his sources of inspiration.

Norwegian distribution by Arthaus.

THE HANDMAIDEN TO OPEN FILMS FROM THE SOUTH 2016

Films from the South Festival starts off with a visual feast of a South Korean thriller by star director Park Chan-wook on October 6 at 18:00. After the screening, we invite you to the opening party at MESH.

The 26th edition of the «Films from the South» festival will get a steamy start on the 6th of October, with the great South-Korean director Park Chan-wook’s latest feature The Handmaiden. The film is hailed for its liberating take on female sexuality, and for the portrayal of love and its darker, more destructive sides, such as vengeance and deceipt. The Culture Commissioner of Oslo, Rina Mariann Hansen, will conduct the official opening.

Time: Thursday 6 October at 18.00
Location: Klingenberg cinema
Age recommendation: 15 years