South Korean provocateur Park
Chan-Wook is one of the undisputed masters of modern cinema, having broke new
ground with his Vengeance Trilogy and
his recent English language feature Stoker. With his new romantic drama The Handmaiden, the Kafkian maestro has
turned over another impeccable masterpiece that evokes every ounce of his
precise and dynamic visual splendor, penchant for extreme violence and fiery,
raw sexuality dripping from the edges of his exquisitely tuned frame. Transposing Welsh author Sarah Waters’
Victorian era novel Fingersmith into
South Korea under Japanese colonial rule, the auteur’s first period piece may
be his most daring and oddly hopeful work to date. Filtering the forbidden homoerotic romantic
longings of the Wachowski’s Bound through
the prism of Chan-Wook’s own fetishistic carnalities recently seen in his
vampire film Thirst, the
distinguished director has made second to his screwball comedy I’m a Cyborg, But That’s Okay his most
triumphant love story without losing sight of his razor sharp edge, whip
snapping wit and desire to see his characters’ stories through to their own
logical ends however oppressive they may be.
Never one to take the safe or easy route, Chan-Wook’s classy period
romance easily eclipses the likes of Blue
is the Warmest Color, Black Swan
and the recently released Carol in
terms of its utterly transcendent journey into steamy homoeroticism and
fearlessness in declaring itself. Only a
director with Chan-Wook’s clout, stature and confidence could have produced
anything remotely like it and for the uninitiated may have made his most
commercially appealing film yet while still serving up all of the
transgressions the director’s fans have come to know and love.
Going into a Park Chan-Wook
film, one must use all of their senses with the sound design and musical score
being as vital as the final image on screen.
To see a Park Chan-Wook film is to hear it as well and with The Handmaiden he has easily produced
one of the loveliest sounding films of 2016.
Let’s take for instance frequent collaborator Jo Yeong-Wook’s soundtrack,
which can’t help but arrest the ears the moment the opening cue begins to play
out. Having already displayed an uncanny
ability for creating wholly original and unforgettable main themes for Oldboy, Lady Vengeance and Thirst,
the composer returns with a score that is at once classical and modern. Think of the central theme for Downton Abbey with the grandiose and
passionate emotional weathers of Oldboy
which resonate and linger with every listen.
Outside of Cliff Martinez’ score for The
Neon Demon, I really can’t think of an original score this year that
burrowed itself so deeply into my psyche before the end credits began. As always expected, Chan-Wook is as gifted a
director of the 2.35:1 panoramic widescreen frame and 5.1 surround sound sonic
experience as he is of his actors who go out on a limb and give their all in
performances that are vulnerable, naked and from the heart. When Choi Min-Sik scarfs down a live octopus
in Oldboy, for instance, we felt a
very real flesh and blood performance happening onscreen and in The Handmaiden its two leading ladies
Kim Min-Hee and Kim Tae-Ri more or less shed their skins to reveal powerfully
raw passions with palpable conviction.
Like Roger Ebert once said of Michael Shannon and Ashley Judd’s
performances in Bug, these are
actresses diving over the cliff without the aid of a safety net below, going
for broke while never losing sight of their mutual goals.
Much like Park Chan-Wook’s Vengeance Trilogy, his violent tale of female empowerment in a repressive society still in the throes of social transformation isn’t for all tastes and those accustomed to his out-of-nowhere forays into shocking brutality and explicit gore will not be disappointed here. Seeing a Park Chan-Wook film with a packed audience is always a treat for the seasoned filmgoer aware of what they’re getting into as a mixture of nervous giggles intermingled with groans radiate through the theater. Looking back at the director’s career over the past decade, Sympathy for Mr. Vengeance will always remain my personal favorite in spite of it being known as the film that nearly ended his career. That said, The Handmaiden was a truly wonderful filmgoing experience for those who like their period dramas with somewhat sharper claws and their actors passions to be as real and raw as blood. In an era where the LGBT romance film is stronger than ever, for my money The Handmaiden is the most artistically successful and emotionally engrossing entry I’ve seen yet. Not everyone will agree but I was enthralled and the film hasn’t left me alone since seeing it. Park Chan-Wook is officially back in cinemas ready to upend our expectations, challenge our sensibilities and take viewers on a roller coaster ride only a master filmmaker of Chan-Wook’s caliber could possibly tell.
Score:
- Andrew Kotwicki