KinoCult presents: The Handmaiden | The Handmaiden (2016) by Park Chan-wook


October 4 | 18:00 | Lumiere Cinema


2026 marks ten years since the premiere of The Handmaiden – a film in which Park Chan-wook transforms the Victorian novel "Fingersmith" by Sarah Waters into one of the most elegant and daring literary adaptations of the 21st century.


By relocating the action from Victorian England to Japanese-occupied Korea in the 1930s, the director not only changes the historical context but also constructs an entirely new narrative in which love, deception, and power acquire different political and cultural meanings.


Park Chan-wook himself admits that he is most drawn to the two heroines in the novel, and the multilayered structure allows him to gradually rearrange everything the viewer thinks they know. Each subsequent chapter reveals a new perspective, with none invalidating the previous one.


The visual world of The Handmaiden is equally meticulously constructed. Set designer Ryu Sung-hee received the Vulcan Award at the Cannes Film Festival for technical mastery, and the house itself – combining Japanese and British architecture – becomes an extension of the characters and one of the most memorable set designs in contemporary cinema.


Director: Park Chan-wook
Screenplay: Park Chan-wook, Chung Seo-kyung (based on the novel "Fingersmith" by Sarah Waters)
Starring: Kim Min-hee, Kim Tae-ri, Ha Jung-woo, Cho Jin-woong, Moon So-ri
Cinematography: Chung Chung-hoon
Editing: Kim Jae-bum, Kim Sang-bum
Music: Jo Yeong-wook
Runtime: 151 min.
Language: Korean and Japanese | Subtitles: Bulgarian