Ah-ga-ssi [The Handmaiden] (2016)

(Kanopy Streaming, December 2020) Whenever there’s a new film by Chan-wook Park, the only good approach is to settle back in your seat and just accept what’s going to happen. You won’t be able to predict what happens. You won’t be prepared for the gorgeous set design. You won’t know on which tone the scenes are going to dance. You won’t know anything, so just enjoy. The Handmaiden is another illustration of this – a crime thriller that’s in part horrifying, suspenseful, erotic, angry, provocative, surprising, astonishing, awe-inspiring and darkly comic. It’s a blend of western inspiration and eastern execution (the premise is inspired by a novel from Welsh novelist Sarah Walters, but the setting and execution are thoroughly Korean) and it’s so thoroughly queer that it becomes inclusive. The Handmaiden isn’t for everyone, but it’s a wild ride for those who can brave its daredevil approach.