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| Source: Imdb |
This intricate drama about a lady in 1930ies Korea being
chased for her inheritance was quite different from what I expected. The
production impressed with its opulence, painting lavish pictures of
high-society life of that period. However, it took a while for the film to get interesting –
it only really took off in the second half – and that’s probably the fault of
the sluggish scrip that started out with portraying boring and superficial,
almost cartoonish characters. It eventually started making more sense as the
film progressed and the portrayal changed perspective, but initially, it was
hard to find any logic in the characters and connect with them in any way. The
acting was a bit over-the-top at times, which highlighted the weirdness of the personalities
even more, and the actors lacked true chemistry. Also, the script took a
shockingly dark turn during the last 10 or so minutes. I hate it when there is
unexpected violence suddenly popping up out of nowhere. On top of that, the
rather sardonic script featured some misplaced humour that I found jarring. Lastly,
the editing was a bit erratic at times, on the one hand providing some generous
long takes and on the other hand chopping up some bits in a completely
unnecessary way.
What I
liked most about this production, aside from the nice visuals, was the gorgeous
score by Cho Young-Wuk, but it didn’t really seem to fit the feel of the film
very well.
So, not
really a recommendation, though fans of Korean cinema might still enjoy it. 2/3
The Handmaiden on Imdb
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