THE HANDMAIDEN

I SAW SOUTH Korean film The Handmaiden totally by chance on TV in France. I just read a short description – a pickpocket and a con man work together to deceive a rich heiress out of her inheritance – and decided to take a look. Within five minutes, I was intrigued.

It’s rare to see two women take the lead as the main characters of a film. They’re two strong, smart women tricking a man who intended to trick them. They’re also trying to free themselves from men; it’s a story of emancipation.

The plot captivates by always being one step ahead. The story is like a box that you open, only to find another box inside. And with each new box, you’re never disappointed.

I was also amazed by the beauty of the images. As a director, I saw some shots that made me ask, ‘how did he do that?’ And then I forgot about these questions because I was so moved by the beauty. It made me forget about being a director.

I was familiar with the work of director Park Chan- wook, but the film still totally took me by surprise. It reminded me of Egyptian films of the 1950s and heist films like The Sting, except the main characters are two women. It looks like a lot of things, but it’s also very much a unique entity.

Among Park’s other films, I’ve seen Joint Security Area, a political military mystery; and Oldboy, which was a shocking film about the absurdities of life and the violence of our existence. Then he made The Handmaiden, a very droll and very delicate film. I love a director who can handle different genres and do it with such finesse every time.