A Criada (2016)

Wow. Just wow. What an impeccable movie.

Watching this now, four years after it came out, I realize how many movies might have been inspired by this one, but none of them did this story as well. This movie is a masterclass of film making.

The script is exceptionally written, with twists, turns and moments of intrigue that fit together like a well-crafted puzzle. It's hard to describe the story without spoiling anything important, I suggest going in with as little information as possible and letting yourself be guided by the storytelling. Jung Seo Kyung did the best job in the entire movie with that script, but everyone played a part in making it shine.

The acting is mostly good, especially Kim Min Hee in a sublime performance. Her role is probably the most difficult to pull off efficiently, to tie in the suspense and the narrative of the story as it is, and she did an amazing job at it. My only problem, which is why this is not entirely a 10, is that some of the actors didn't fully convince me when it came to portraying the Japanese characters, but it didn't ruin the experience.

The movie is explicit, in different ways. There's a contrast between two different kinds of scenes that involve explicit content, and the way in which they are shot and performed, as well as written, weaves in a message that is super intense, in many ways.

It's absolutely, in my opinion, one of the best lgbtq+ films of the 2010s, I have no doubt about that. I had heard a lot about it and I had expectations, especially after having seen other films compared to it, but the expectations were met and surpassed. There is a love story between two women in the heart of this film that upholds and maintains the plot at all times, and everything is built upon showcasing that story, not only of love but also of redemption and empowerment.

All in all, great movie. Wow.

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I advice anyone to watch that movie, it's such a great movie.

First of all, I've only watched one other of Park Chan Wook's films, Old boy, but it's worth watching cause it's also a really great film.

The movie is really well written, it's divided in three parts that are following one character each, and each of those part is really well written and mind blowing. The whole film is mind blowing actually, form plot twist to plot twist, the suspense is here.

The pictures are very beautiful also, it's what I call great cinema: even before I had the chance to see it, I knew I would like it cause the pictures and the music that are shown in the trailer really set what you are going to see, which is georgeous images of the Korean countryside or the city, and the music that is just perfect. Also the actors are really talented and they were all really good in their role.

But there's two things I actually really really liked about this film:
- The whole story about Japanese occupation. I didn't have the chance to see much about that precise period, and the fact that Korean are able to talk about that difficult situation is very important I think (on that subject, I advise you the Korean drama Bridal Mask, it's really good). Listening to those two beautiful languages is also a plus for me. I liked that the historical part is here, but not in a central place, cause the story between the characters is way more important, and that's really weel done.
- Strong lesbian characters. As queer female myself, I'm thrilled to see such strong characters. Finding good gay male character is quite difficult in Asian cinema, even though it's getting easier each year fortunatly, but lesbian characters are always absent (especially in Korean films and dramas), just search "gay" and "lesbian" tags on the site and compare by yourself. So these girls are really important to me, and as well as the historical side, it's here, but it's not like "queer propagandia", theur queerness is just natural.

Some scene can be, not difficult to watch, but quite "disgusting" (I don't really know what word I should use), but they don't feel useless, I feel like everything is here for a reason. The film is relativly long (144 min) but, I promise you won't be bored.

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Um filme praticamente perfeito.
A história é extremamente rica e bem planejada. Desde o primeiro momento, é perceptível o cuidado e a boa execução dos produtores e dos roteiristas. O filme inteiro traz mistério, drama, tragédia, suspense, romance e até mesmo um pouco de comédia; tudo na medida correta. Quando você acha que está chegando no clímax, um novo acontecimento te surpreende. A existência de tantas descobertas e plot-twits faz com que as (quase) três horas de filme valham a pena de serem assistidas.
O romance é sensual e explícito, mas não vulgar e sem sentido. Mesmo assim, não recomendo que pessoas abaixo de 18 anos assistam, pois traz conteúdos de violência, estupro e tortura que podem acabar sendo perturbadores para algumas pessoas (apesar de que, para mim, deram um "quê" diferente para a produção).
O trabalho de TODOS os atores foi simplesmente incrível. Eu não tive uma única decepção com o profissionalismo, dedicação e execução beirando a perfeição, onde o filme mesclou o tempo todo entre dois idiomas (japonês e coreano) que eram falados com fluência pelos atores.
Talvez os únicos pontos que poderiam ser melhorados é a trilha sonora, que quase não apareceu, e talvez um foco um pouquinho maior na questão histórica, porque para quem não entende como aconteceu a ocupação Japonesa, pode ficar um pouco confuso alguns detalhes da cronologia histórica em que o filme ocorre (eu, por exemplo, demorei para entender algumas coisinhas).
Fora isso e o tempo um pouco extenso do filme que pode acabar incomodando algumas pessoas (e que também me levou a colocar uma nota 8.0 para o valor de reassistir), eu simplesmente amei! Fazia um BOM tempo que eu não ficava tão satisfeita assim com um filme!
Amei e, com toda a certeza do mundo, vou recomendar para as pessoas.
Nota 9.5

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I remember googled "best Korean movies" and this movie is always on every list. That convinced me there must be something since people raved it as "perfect movie". Turns out those people aren't wrong, this is indeed a perfect movie.

The Handmaiden is divided into three parts and we will get different impressions for each part. We don't know where the story is going and the plot itself is already perfect and satisfying. The atmosphere in this movie is really unique, sometimes it feels lunatic then shifts to thrilling then digusting. It's psychologically intriguing.

As for the casts, everyone performed greatly. I have to mention Kim Min-hee stands out the most, she showcased her acting skills here. Remember I told you there are three parts with different impressions? Kim Min-hee is able to give off various vibes throughout the movie. I'm a fan.

Seriously folks, perfect plotting adds to flawless acting performance equals to a perfect movie. I'm grateful they made The Handmaiden.

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¡De las mejores películas que vi en mi vida!

Hoy estoy contenta porque por fin les voy a estar hablando de una de mis películas favoritas de todos los tiempos (en general, no solo asiática): The Handmaiden.

Soy partidaria de que entre menos sepan de qué va esta película al momento de verla, mejor. Por eso solo les voy a adelantar que está protagonizada por una chica coreana que se hace pasar por una criada para entrar a trabajar en la casa de una familia japonesa y, de esa forma, poder estafar a la "señora" que tiene a su cargo.

¿Por dónde empiezo a enumerar todas las cosas que me ENCANTAN de esta obra de arte? Porque sí, es una obra de arte con todas las letras. La cinematografía es una delicia para los ojos, es una película realmente hermosa de ver. La paleta de colores, el encuadre de ciertas escenas... Una maravilla. Encima a esto le suma un montón el vestuario, el maquillaje y un largo etcétera.

Igual, no solo vale la pena por lo impactante que es visualmente, también cuenta con un guion súper inteligente que hace que no puedas apartar los ojos de la pantalla. Y las actuaciones, sobre todo de las dos protagonistas, están a otro nivel. Literal, la primera vez que la vi lo hice con la boca abierta porque no podía creer que The Handmaiden fuera una película coreana que se dio en el cine y no arruinó la carrera de las actrices (digamos que, si la ven, van a descubrir el significado de thriller erótico, just saying).

Pero bueno, si quieren puedo seguir diciendo cosas positivas: la música es buenísima, no aburre en ningún momento (la trama se reinventa constantemente), es turbia como pocas y al mismo tiempo muy bonita...
¿Hubo polémicas? Sí, muchas personas diciendo que es una película que refleja una fantasía masculina y nada más, pero no sé, yo no podría estar más en desacuerdo. Para mí es una historia que muestra mujeres fuertes que se la re bancan y saben bien lo que quieren (además de criticar ciertos aspectos de la pornografía, por ejemplo).

Lo único que nunca me gustó fue la elección del actor que hace del "tío". Tendrían que haber contratado a un actor más adulto, parece un flaco joven caracterizado y muy caricaturesco.

IG de reseñas cortas: @altoplottwist

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gag

estou fascinado com esse filme aqui. tem uma atmosfera tão hipnotizante que eu não queria saber de nada além do aconteceria nos minutos seguintes. tem algo que torna ele extremamente sensual e eu aposto na melancolia que rodeia não só os personagens mas o próprio ambiente. é muito interessante acompanhar o modo como o filme escala pois vem sempre algo de surpreendente na história, e todos personagens são tão intrigantes que você sabe que pra onde o passo andar vai ser bom de se acompanhar.

p.s. a sookhee destruindo a biblioteca foi uma das coisas mais sensuais e românticas que eu já vi.

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BE GAY, DO CRIME AT IT'S HISTORICAL FINEST~~

Much sexy, much love, much wow.
Nothing beats having two lesbians happily in love and a happy ending.
do...

The sound of bells and the peaceful moon at the end do justice to the storyline, a beautiful way to drop the curtains. Although yes the movie should be tagged mature for the content.
When you start the movie you feel like a simple con movie? That's it? But at the end who gets coned for real is the real deal. In the end, you feel like no I can not continue this but pleasant it has been.

The complicated nature of humans comes to the surface in this stellar movie. Respect for the actors.

If you think about it, LOVE was what saved them, if both of them continued their initial scheme, they wouldn't have ended up together, if both of them viewed money as their ultimate goal, either one of them would've died. But they chose LOVE in the end, despite the odds, they believed in each other and I think... that's really beautiful. :') ♡

Plot twists at its best. :')

I would definitely recommend this to my fellow LGBTQ+ but only if they're above 21. ;)

To the people who made this film possible and my new women empowerment queen Jung Seo Kyung, kamsahamnida!

Sincerely,
Your gay mind blown viewer

Final Rating: 10/10

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Disturbing, yet satisfying.

I had high expectations and this movie met them. I liked it from the acting to the cinematography, the storytelling, the settings and visuals (Gorgeous!!). But I'm also going ahead to talk about what I didn't like, since it was already praised so much.

This is one of the few movies that caught my interest within the first 10 minutes, not wasting any time and jumping right into the story. I can easily see how other movies will take their time portraying the maid as an innocent and go "But NO! She was actually a cheat!" after like 20 minutes. Glad that they didn't do that. The first part was visually gorgeous. Take a screenshot and it would be a painting. It also seemed like a regular drama plot-wise. You're just waiting for something to go wrong and in my case, the first plot twist did not work too well as I could see it coming. Things were simply going too well for the careless and overly confident maid. Still did not stop me from enjoying their relationship and since I found the maid absolutely adorable and entertaining.

The second part though was truly unexpected. Easily the best part of the film. I was completely invested in the backstory of our main lead. It quickly went into fucked up territory and had me feeling disturbed to thinking "that's absolutely disgusting". I understand the significance of the auction scenes, but I would probably skip them on a rewatch. Absolute best scene was when Miss broke down and attempted to hang herself; the turning point. I must say it was incredibly satisfying to watch and realise where things were going later on.

For the last part, I'm going to be a little picky. Since its purpose is to wrap up the show, things were starting to go way too well. The tone shifted to that more of a kdrama, which was fine, but some scenes also felt slightly unnecessary. Still, the cellar scene was satisfyingly disturbing and you will thank the Count for killing the creepy uncle along with himself.

About the characters. The two leads had amazing chemistry and completed each other perfectly. The "Count" was probably the standout character though. He's despicable and he deserved his outcome, but was actually not all that unlikeable since he ironically gave the Miss her freedom and punished her uncle for her. What I really liked was that all of them had immoral intentions, which made the protagonists much more charming imo.

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Watch it without reading/watching any reviews beforehand!

I made the mistake of watching some YouTube reviews before I watched the movie, so the plot twists were spoiled for me. Watch it going in blind and with an open mind.
I think Kim Tae Ri was brave as a rookie actress taking on the role when she knew that full nudity (and more) was required, and she is amazing. She fully deserves all the awards she got afterwards.
The chemistry between Kim Min Hee and Kim Tae Ri was great and it's a pity that the controversy about Kim Min Hee's personal life overshadowed her acting in this film.
This is the first film I've seen from director Park Chan Wook, so I'm curious to see his past works and his latest one, Decision To Leave.
The Handmaiden is a masterpiece movie and highly recommended.

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Uno de los mejores thrillers que he visto

Decir que esta película es una obra de arte es lo mínimo que puedo hacer. La cinematografía es un placer visual constante; cada toma es una pintura, una historia y un mensaje con pistas de la trama; amé la paleta de colores, fríos y pálidos. La música acompaña de forma impecable. La producción es espectacular; los escenarios, los vestuarios y todo en general exuda elegancia, seducción y una marca característica que refleja la cultura de los personajes.

Respecto a la trama, thriller erótico es más que clavado. Como dije, todo en esta película grita seducción, sin que nunca se sienta obseno, por más que el film se ponga cada vez más y más turbio. Es increíble lo bien escrito que está el guion; dividida en partes, la historia no deja de asombrar con plot twists que me dejaron confundida, perturbada, asustada e intrigada por partes iguales, y cada vez más y más. No hay agujeros de guion y todas las pistas se nos disponen sin que nos demos cuenta hasta que la explicación cae como bomba, en una narrativa espectacular que no deja de asombrar.

Las actuaciones son excelentes; les creí su papel toalmente a cada uno de ellos y comparten una química increíble, pero las que más merecen un aplauso son las dos actrices principales, sin dudas, que se entregaron completamente a sus personajes. Con un director tan bueno y respetuoso con su cast, amo que Corea haya recibido tan bien esta película, cuando es todo lo opuesto a lo que vemos en los kdramas y está tan llena de tabúes. Una película fascinante y admirable, no para cualquiera, pero sí para el que quiera ver un thriller espectacular y tan hermoso como perturbador.

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