Agenda of The Handmaiden

Firstly, I would like to present my sincere apology as I was not able to post any of my blog posts on the occasion of the new year. The previous months as were January and February were all spent due to the immense number of my pending assignments and practicum. The majority of that month was wasted like my pen on the paper of oblivion. But as soon as all my academic dues were over, I came straight back to my business. And with this loving month of February, I want to present you a review of the film that has broken all boundaries of Love. I have chosen the Korean Film, "The Handmaiden" by Park Chan-wook to say its bohemian prayers to the unconditional theme of Love.

I especially cannot forget the first time I saw the movie. The movie is romantic, dramatic, thrilling, and sometimes offensive, but to me, it was more secretive than anything else. I consider this retrospective important because the film reveals themes such as love, history, and patriarchy, mainly through the hidden intentions of the characters.

But before going all out about the in-depth analysis and review, I like to give spoiler alerts. If you have not watched this film yet and wondering between the lines I am talking about, please go straight to the back button and exit this post. As I cannot be obliged to be responsible for someone who would be spoiled even before watching the movie once. You are missing a whole lot if you skip the movie first. So first, go back to the movie and watch it till the end. And then come back to my post. Believe it, It will be worth the while.

Story-Take -

The movie takes an hour before replaying the story from a completely different angle. Director Park Chan-wook skillfully implements flashbacks and voice-overs to gradually reveal the characters' motivations and desires. But these are not central to the whole film to only create the film's mysterious atmosphere. Even after the final revelations that put everything back in place, it is so well decorated that for the finale, the experience remains in your mind. It makes you ask endless questions about the plot and the interlinked sub-plots. So let us go back to the beginning -

Please look carefully at all the iconic elements of the film - Snakes, gloves, gazes, walls. They are all trying to tell you something. Something solid and absolute. Maybe it is hard for the viewers to understand it at first. But with each view on the soul of the movie, one can get a splendid idea about its implications.

But deciphering the easily identifiable symbols is secondary to a look at the director's truly impressive mise-en-scène. What we need to focus on is much deeper than the symbol. Leaving the metaphorical role aside, let's talk about the extensive mystery that always has its own purpose. The greatness of the film comes not from the way how intentions are revealed in the plot, but from the way they are hidden on the screen. Firstly, the take of costumes has to stay on prime focus.

1. Costume -

When the moment comes when the film reveals its first twist, it portrays the grandeur of Costumes. Hideko was plotting with Fujiwara behind Sook-hee. But soon after, Sook-hee and Hideko betray Fujiwara with another plan. The two women were already aware of their true motive. And there is no need to reassure each other. But we have no idea their schemes.

• So how do they communicate their plans to the audience without being explicit?  

-The answer lies in Hideko's gloves.

The Contrasting Colour of the Gloves

Aside from being an essential tool for the handling of Kozuki's books, these gloves were also symbolic. But the iconic aspect of Hideko's gloves is never forced on the audience. It just exists, and it blends in with other elegant outfits. When Hideko, Fujiwara, and Sook-hee get into the car together and head to the hospital. Though it is hard to notice, Hideko is wearing gloves at this time. It is when they reach their destination that Hideko suddenly becomes bare-handed. Having to hide their plans and compassion for each other, she unconsciously reveals her true self to Sook-hee by removing her sense of bondage. So, after seeing him off, she puts on her gloves again and faces Fujiwara.

The Contrasting Colour of the Gloves

Good storytelling is like this. Subtle, natural, but meaningful. After understanding how Park Chan-wook wears gloves, we can anticipate many other things. In this scene, although Hideko is physically exempt in the mansion, she is not yet mentally free, suggesting that the story must go on. True freedom comes when Sook-hee and Hideko throw their gloves into the sea along with their rings and fake mustaches.

Costumes, in addition to their aesthetic beauty, always tell a story about the characters who were wearing them. The men listening to the story that Hideko read are all dressed in fine suits as if they were wearing straitjackets. Their fantasies are pushed down, mutating, and their desires explode. The scene gives off a disgusting and patriarchal feel, but the meticulously crafted costumes don't look artificial and enhance the overall effect. And behind this perverted behavior is Kozuki. Anyone who has seen the movie knows that the snake at the door symbolizes the phallus. Sook-hee destroyed it in the end. And this snake is openly linked to the antagonist role in the film, Kozuki. But like the costume, it is not the snake that reveals this character. It is the setting that surrounds him. What best describes his character is Kozuki's deliberately grandiose library. In this theater-like space, there exist stairs, a tokonoma, and many tatami mats. On the tokonoma, Hideko reads books. And under the tatami mats that are arranged neatly on the middle floor, there is water.

Kozuki's library is natural and typical for the film, but at the same time reveals his hidden personality and his perverted nature unwittingly. By nature, Kozuki is a conscious, obsessive person with overly repressed desires. Every time he reads, he redesigns the stage. And through this space, he visually shows that he is on the verge of 'unleashing' his wish. By carefully examining his private sphere, we can say that he is a relentless oppressor with twisted ideals and sexual desires. That is why the scene where Sook-hee falls into the water gives us catharsis. The clash of Kozuki's obsession with his overtly private fantasies effectively exposes the character's injustice and marks the end of his destructive behavior.

And as we move forward with these analyses, let's not forget about the viewer's feelings when they first watched this film. I know this film is a repeater. With each deep analysis, many unnoticed elements come to the spotlight.

2. Repetitive Scenes -

At first, this film gives us unbelievable betrayal scenes. But then it goes on to masterfully tell the reason behind it. It creates a dilemma in our minds that further intensifies the plot. So, it can be said those repetitive scenes stay in us even after we finished watching the film. It buds between us and clears all of our doubts about the movie.

Now speaking about particular scenes, when I ask people to pick a pivotal scene in The Handmaiden, they mention the escape of Sook-hee and Hideko, who always jump over the wall and leave the mansion. This scene comes after they confess their selfish plans, destroy Kozuki's book, and then pledge to work together as lovers. The wall they have to go through is subjective, but Sook-hee helps Hideko by putting down her bag so she can step over it. This scene shows that the pressure and abuse that Hideko had to endure was psychological rather than physical. And she was unable even to attempt to escape. But again, this is just a protective surface for the essence that makes this scene really powerful. Throughout the film, we get a lot of hints that the director uses repetition to convey a message quietly. The best example is the moon painted on Hideko's door. Being mentioned by the characters and seen by the camera the image replicates infinite symbols. But there are also other less prominent examples, such as shoes, beads, and, of course, cherry blossoms.

The Distance: Role Reversal

After his aunt's death, the tree became a tragic form of freedom for Hideko. The best and only option for escape is suicide. And the director reminds us about this showing us imagery. It was a tree that appears repetitively in every scene before us. But while constantly showing the thought, it never explicitly shows the suicidal act, the character jumping out of the frame until now. Once the bags have piled up, the camera rushes towards Hideko like a hurricane, creating a sense of urgency and determination. As the camera tries to slam Hideko's face, she jumps off walls and frames. The whole sequence is shot as if Hideko fell straight down into an endless abyss. And it is dramatic in making that finally draws the film towards the climax. What is portrayed here is not her burden but her determination to stand up against her fears. Instead of killing her physical self, Hideko decides to kill her former self to be reborn as a new person.

The Closeness: Role Reversal

The artistry of 'The Handmaiden' comes from its ability to play with our hearts without jeopardizing the flow. In the film, everything is in a proper place for us to notice, consciously or not, and our admiration for detail grows as we understand both of its metaphorical and narrative meanings. Just as Count Fujiwara, who recalled the moment he fell in love with Hideko after seeing Hideko's true 'desire', realized that the object of his desire was Sook-hee. We too recall Count Fujiwara's words and say that this love was love at first sight.

"I see women's eyes." 

"Only, only the eyes." 

"If you're upset, you avoid looking at them at first," he said. 

"Then they always meet again."

As this post ends abruptly, I would like to say that there is more to it than can be explained. Little does it cost to pick some collective thoughts about the film as I did subconsciously this month. With each relative symbol and significance, there creates a more detailed panel of ideas that seeks a further explanation. It is proved again and again as I was going forward with this film, many things in our life as it seems ridiculous at first glance, may have a deeper meaning to it. Living our lives to an extent, we may or may not find their actual meaning. But all over, it was a great experience to be able to write this blog. 

"A feeling only one can understand, those who have something to like."