The Handmaiden

"You're the one being tricked."

2016 2h 25m KO

🙌

8.2

BANGER

★8.2TMDB · 4,522

ThrillerDramaRomance

Synopsis

Spoiler shield

1930s Korea, in the period of Japanese occupation, a new girl, Sook-hee, is hired as a handmaiden to a Japanese heiress, Hideko, who lives a secluded life on a large countryside estate with her domineering Uncle Kouzuki. But the maid has a secret. She is a pickpocket recruited by a swindler posing as a Japanese Count to help him seduce the Lady to steal her fortune.

“You're the one being tricked.”

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Cast

Kim Min-hee
Lady Hideko
Kim Tae-ri
Sook-hee
Ha Jung-woo
Count Fujiwara
Cho Jin-woong
Uncle Kouzuki
Kim Hae-sook
Ms. Sasaki
Moon So-ri
Hideko's Aunt
Lee Yong-nyeo
Bok-soon
Kwak Eun-jin
Kkeut-dan

Credits

Behind the camera

Director: Park Chan-wook
Writers: Park Chan-wook, Chung Seo-kyung
Languages: Japanese, Korean
Countries: South Korea

Want more? Switch to Cinephile mode in the header for DP, composer, budget, box office, production companies, keywords, and release history.

Did you know?

Fun facts 🍿

1 / 8

MONEY

Did you know

Made its money back 4.5× over at the box office.

MoodPlayr · trivia#01

2 / 8

ERA

Did you know

Released 10 years ago.

MoodPlayr · trivia#02

3 / 8

WORLD

Did you know

Dialogue crosses 2 languages: Japanese, Korean.

MoodPlayr · trivia#03

4 / 8

DIRECTOR

Did you know

Directed by Park Chan-wook, shot by Chung Chung-hoon. Note their partnership — DPs and directors often return to each other across a career.

MoodPlayr · trivia#04

5 / 8

DIRECTOR

Did you know

Original score by Cho Young-wuk. Worth a dedicated listen after — most great films lose half their impact without the score.

MoodPlayr · trivia#05

6 / 8

DIRECTOR

Did you know

Editor Kim Sang-bum shaped the rhythm. On an edit-heavy film, the editor does more to control your pulse than the director.

MoodPlayr · trivia#06

7 / 8

CAST

Did you know

Kim Min-hee and Kim Tae-ri and Ha Jung-woo carry the top of the cast.

MoodPlayr · trivia#07

8 / 8

FACT

Did you know

Marketing tagline: "You're the one being tricked.".

MoodPlayr · trivia#08

Cinephile deep dive

The take

Park Chan-wook directs. Chung Chung-hoon behind the camera. Cho Young-wuk scores. Kim Sang-bum cuts. Made its budget back several times over at the box office. Produced in South Korea. Dialogue in Japanese, Korean.

Trivia

Things worth knowing

1Made its money back 4.5× over at the box office.
2Released 10 years ago.
3Dialogue crosses 2 languages: Japanese, Korean.
4Directed by Park Chan-wook, shot by Chung Chung-hoon. Note their partnership — DPs and directors often return to each other across a career.
5Original score by Cho Young-wuk. Worth a dedicated listen after — most great films lose half their impact without the score.
6Editor Kim Sang-bum shaped the rhythm. On an edit-heavy film, the editor does more to control your pulse than the director.
7Kim Min-hee and Kim Tae-ri and Ha Jung-woo carry the top of the cast.
8Marketing tagline: "You're the one being tricked.".
9IMDB entry: tt4016934 — still the authoritative cross-reference for credits and trivia.
10Classified under 25 themes, including "jealousy", "based on novel or book", "library", "pickpocket".
11Released under 11 different titles around the world.

The technical file

Cinematography: Chung Chung-hoon
Original score: Cho Young-wuk
Editing: Kim Sang-bum
Production design: Ryu Seong-hie
Costume design: Cho Sang-kyung
Makeup / hair: Lee Hee-eun
VFX supervisor: Lee Jeon-hyoung
Runtime: 145 min · 2h 25m
Aspect ratio (typical): 1.37:1 (Academy)
Status: Released
Budget: $8,575,000
Box office: $38,600,000
Return: 450% of budget
Original language: KO
Certification (US): R
IMDB: The Handmaiden (2016)

Awards

CST Award of the Technical Artist

Individual records documented via Wikidata; the summary above may count more.

Also by

Park Chan-wook

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Trailers & featurettes

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Community reviews

What people are saying

Reno2017-08-10
★ 8/10
In the circle of romance, deceive and defraud. Those who are into the world cinema, particularly the Korean, knows Park Chan-wook very well. But if you don't, then you must. His films are definitely for the grown ups. Like everybody else, my admiration for his work has started a decade ago with the film 'Oldboy'. He had tried his luck in Hollywood with 'Stoker'. Despite a good entertainer, it was criticised. I love Park Chan-wook doing hundred masterpieces like this in Korea than trying to do one in Hollywood. His ability to turn the good book into a great flick was phenomenal. Here it goes another one. This was based on the British novel 'Fingersmith' by Sarah Waters. The story of an orphan woman who assigned to be a maid for a young rich woman who is living under the shadow of her uncle since she has no parents. Yeah, I was expecting it, but I did not think it would be another masterpiece from the director. I even thought the ratings could be exaggerated, and the reviews from his die hard fans like Nolan's or QT's fans does. The timeline of the story was prior to Second World War Korea under the Japan rule. A perfect setting for such theme. The film opened like it is an average film. That's where all I got wrong. Or probably I judged it too soon. The storytelling was split into three parts and the first part was a bit mix of fun and like any film, introduction, the platform for the rest of the narration filled with surprises. The young orphan Sook-hee was recruited by a thief who is planning to trick a young woman named Lady Hideko with all the wealth left behind by her parents. The only obstacle for him is her uncle, a guardian. So Sook-hee becomes close to her. More than she had expected, but their plan is working. Now they have to wait for the perfect moment for a perfect strike. When it arrives, an unexpected twist takes the tale to go back to where the film originally had started. But even further earlier and this time, the perspective of the story was from the Lady Hdeko. ❝So even if my love for you leads me to ruin, don't pity me.❞ So, with that flashback, the second part begins. But literally it was a series of twist, that keep explaining us in another angle of the whole scenario I had witnessed in the previous part. Believe me, I have never seen such a long twist before. I was like unmoved for that entire segment. One of the best things I have ever in a film. The praise must go to the author, but the director and his actors as well did a fine job. There's a twist in every scene. So, for that one must pay close attention to the first part, despite slow moving story. But above all, what I'm surprised was I did not know it was a lesbian film. Moreover, I did not think it could have bold scenes for such theme. Everything seemed perfect. I mean the erotic parts are sensual, but very artistic than unnecessary disturbance. Mainly because of stronger hold of the story narration than anything else. Even the pace picks up, like a crazy speed. Everything about the film you would learn in this section. All the secrets of the past revealed and what might comes are still kept under mysterious for the third and final part. The most awaited, the conclusion part begins forth. For everything we saw so far, what might come after makes this film at its best. Just like the mid part, this is also full of twists. Because it will going to tell who ends where and what they get. Over two hours long film, and every frame are worth. The casting was best and so the setting of the 1930s Korea. Especially I must applaud the filmmaker's effort to turn the original setting from Europe to East Asia. It was great, but still now and then you can see the influence of the original source. I mean western culture, names, architect references which might have come from the book. Not just the lesbian or a love triangle story, but something like a circle of love with deceive and defraud. You can notice that in the film poster with four main characters. So when it has a multiple strings attached, you could expect surprises/twists from each angle and it gives that more the convincingly. Put this into your must see list. This is not the first screen adaptation, but surely the best so far. Now we can expect a European or a Hollywood project in a big scale soon. Believe me the Oscars would pour in, because it's that kind of story. Highly recommended! 8/10
CinemaSerf2023-01-05
★ 7/10
Talk about the best laid plans! This is a cracking, sexy, thriller set in Korea during the Japanese occupation of the 1930s. It centres around the charming, butter-wouldn't-melt "Sook-Hee" (Tae Ri Kim) who takes a job attending the wealthy "Lady Hideko" (Kim Min-hee). She lives on a grand estate with her cantankerous uncle "Kouzuki" (Cho Jin-woong) and is frankly rather low maintenance for her new maid. Pretty quickly, though, we begin to smell a rat! Is she what she seems, and what has the obviously duplicitous "Count" (Ha Jung-woo) got to do with things? Well gradually, we find out that there are schemes afoot to rob the lady of her fortune, her liberty - even her mind. What the plotting didn't take account for, though, was human nature. A bond gradually starts to build between the two women, a bond of friendship, of trust - of love! What happens next...? This benefits hugely from having a tightly-knit cast who work well together; a solid and intriguing story that marries the Machiavelian with the mischievous, the sexy with the sordid - and, it looks great too. The characters vacillate from being likeable, kinky, and often pretty loathsome in equal measure, but somehow there is always a sense that right will be done! I loved the ending, and the performances from the two women are engaging and captivating. Some of it isn't for the squeamish, but it flew by, is expertly crafted, and I thoroughly enjoyed it.
Alunauwie2025-09-23
★ 9/10
The Handmaiden, adapted from Sarah Waters' Fingersmith, masterfully transposes the 19th-century London setting to 1930s Japanese-occupied Korea, creating a rich and visually stunning historical backdrop. Told in three intricately woven chapters, the film unfolds with gripping suspense, emotional depth, and narrative twists that keep viewers fully engaged. With award-winning cinematography, meticulous artistic direction, and powerful performances—especially from debut actress Kim Tae Ri—The Handmaiden stands out as a bold, sensual, and unforgettable cinematic achievement that expertly blends mystery, romance, and rebellion. Read the full review here: (Indonesian version : alunauwie.com)