WHAT YOU CAN LEARN FROM UNIVERSAL ACCLAIMED THRILLER THE HANDMAIDEN
- mitoggy
- Jul 29, 2019
- 4 min read
What happens when two lost souls find each other in a place where no love could be found? The psychological thriller The Handmaiden explores the connection between people and their capability of deceit through the growing relationship and intimacy of two women. In the end you can, it seems, trust true love.
Inspired by the novel Fingersmith by Sarah Waters, the film was directed by the renowned director Park Chan Wook and receive a ten minute standing ovation at its premiere at Cannes Film Festival 2016.
Let’s dive into the two main lessons you could take from this compelling, “hugely entertaining thriller" to apply in everyday life.
1. Appearances Can Be Misleading
As shown in the movie, no characters were who they seemed to be on the outside.
Lady Hideko who looked innocent and vulnerable in the eyes of all those around her turned out to be very sexually experienced and vicious, as a result of years of abuse. Sook-hee was displayed to be a dull and vulgar girl, but in reality showed extreme wit and considerate behaviour when it came to Hideko. Count Fujiwara and Uncle Kouzuki put on a dignified, noble cover to hide the fact that they were two corrupted men who valued nothing more than money.
Indeed, appearances can easily cause you to lose sight of what is really going on under the surface. The outlook of a person may speak some volume of their status or financial capacity, but it most certainly doesn’t show who they are as a human being. You need to spend a generous amount of time and at a close distance to truly understand another individual and see for yourself what kind of a person they are.
You can even curse at me or steal things from me. But please don't lie to me.
Next, it was the difference in personality that Hideko and Sook-hee displayed that surprised the Count and gained them the upper hand in the end. This speaks heavily of what outcomes might happen if you choose to judge people based only on outside presentation and disregard the actions they accomplished
Moreover, it must be said that in some cases, how people express themself in your presence can quite contradict what their behavior truly is in your absence. Some talk behind your back or are ready to tear you down any moment while acting like your biggest admirer in front of you.
2.Perspective Is Everything
For such an intricate film like The Handmaiden, the impressive running time of 145 minutes can barely capture the packed meaning behind every setting.
For the audience, one thing that stands out are the twists and turns of event near the end of the film, which surely make anyone watching standing on their tiptoes to watch what was going to unfold.
The main plot of the story was divided into two separate parts, with genius editing to make them impossible to make sense unless viewed next to each other. Same as two sides of a coin, if one part was lacking it would significantly change the way we understand the story and view the truth of what had happened.
From two different point-of-view, it is clear how important perspective is in determining the direction of a certain circumstance. For the Count, his viewpoint was limited and restricted by an unknown development, which is the romantic relationship between Hideko and Sook-hee. Meanwhile, the two knew exactly how the Count was perceiving his surroundings and used it to their advantage.
My saviour who came to tear my life apart. My Tamako, my Sookee.
The noteworthy lesson to take from this is to always keep an open mind and aspire to see the big picture, in order to fully comprehend a situation before making assumptions from only one viewpoint.
What’s more, depends on how you decide to view your surroundings, one thing can bear a different meaning than what it used to be.
If Hideko believed and surrendered to how others perceived her, she never could have achieved freedom and forever stuck in a dark and cruel fate. Instead, she exploited the perspective of those who look down on her, turning the mindset of misogyny into a weapon, an advantage instead of falling victim to it.
Hideko decided to use what once imprisoned her to set her free: her beauty, her knowledge and own what was used to punish her to become a tool for her own pleasure.
To me, this is a very impactful message: It is up to you how you decide to see things, to submit to the force enslacking you or make an effort in reclaiming your environment.
You must never subject to your destiny but take the initiative in defining your own life and break free from all the chains holding you back.
The film received a lot of positive response with an approval rating of 95% on Rotten Tomatoes, IMDB score of 8.1 and 84/100 score on Metacritic.
The Handmaiden available on Itunes, Amazon and Microsoft now. Watch (or rewatch) the masterpiece as many times you like! Stay tuned for more analysis next time!
Watch the official trailer.
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