Die Taschendiebin

Anstatt ein raffiniertes erotisches Spiel darzubieten ist des ein eher flacher Voyeur-Streich, der weder provokativ noch allzu exzentrisch ist. Ihre Exzessivität besteht in der übermäßigen Verwendung des Sentiments, melodramatischer Klischees und naivem schauspielerischen Handelns. Der potenziell großartige Doubletwist versinkt sozusagen in der Erzählung, welcher es an Sparsamkeit und Finesse fehlt. Subjektiv dauerte das Ganze 4 Stunden. Park hat seinen Sucker Punch gedreht, um die verborgenen Kammern des Verlangens sowie der Begierde zu benennen, ebenso wie die zerstörerische Manipulation mit ihnen. Doch dies evoziert eher als ein masochistisches Fest einer nicht ganz jugendfreie Lektüre mitsamt einiger übertrieben gewalttätigen Szenen. Enttäuschung... [Cannes 2016] (14.05.2016)

NinadeL vs. Südkorea: Nein, ich brauche wirklich kein Rotbuch-Rührstück gekreuzt mit Lesbenpornos und einer Betonung der Emanzipation der Unterschicht, um zu leben. Aber ein Festivalbesucher könnte argumentieren, dass das alles ganz anders ist. (05.08.2016)

I believe The Handmaiden will be something completely different for a lot of viewers. More important than the story, which has an excellent twist, is the completely original, borderline-perfect treatment. The best thing about the whole film, in my opinion, is the division of the story into three parts and the precise cinematography. Actually, I can't even say that the cinematographer did a good job with it, it would sound somehow underrated. This was no acting, it was a very skilled job, shot with confidence. Another thing that plays a very important role and adds to the overall impression is the costumes. It was also because of these and the hair styling that some of the shots were so famous. Of course, no less credit goes to the actors, who performed something incredible under the direction of Park. The only thing I could easily do without are the rather lengthy sex scenes. It's hard to say how the rest of the film would have affected me in their absence, and if the story would have lost its weight without them. In any case, there were too many of them. And they were also quite detailed and perhaps a bit too overt. /// Since I still can't get The Handmaiden out of my head, I'm raising the rating one more star after a month. (12.08.2016)

The film is divided into two parts, the first of which focuses on the naive thief and con artist Sook-hee, which is definitely not the most interesting introduction to the film. The second part, on the other hand, focuses on the noblewoman Hideko, revealing her side of the story; and it is this part that managed to engage me much more. Although the story of the film, directed by Chan-wook Park, is nothing surprising or particularly interesting or rewarding for the more experienced viewer, The Handmaiden manages to captivate with its costume design, sets, and interesting cinematography. At times, it doesn't matter what the film is about or who is trying to trick or take over whom, the layout and framing of the scenes manages to captivate and enthrall so much more. Park also doesn’t hold back on showing the sex scenes between Sook-hee and Hideko, to the point that it's hard to tell if they're beautifully erotically liberating or just a man's wet dream. But the actresses feared no boundaries in these scenes, and with their immaculate nudity they set themselves up as if on a platter for the viewer. Female sexuality and eroticism are expressed here as a warm safe haven compared to the male one, which is portrayed almost grotesquely, as something negative and violent. In its 145 minutes, the film has both its stronger moments and weaker moments that can't quite hold the viewer's attention. In the first half, The Handmaiden pretends to be an erotic thriller, but then it slips into a lethargy from which director Park tries to wake the viewer, either with a twist at the end of the first half of the film, with erotic scenes or violence that weaker stomachs won't appreciate, or a flashback narrative. The ending is too easy for the cage Hideko is escaping from and all the girls have gotten themselves into. A mediocre film, nothing at all revelatory, too long. (15.07.2016)

For some viewers, The Handmaiden will be a lesbian romance in which the path to discovering one’s own identity and overcoming the patriarchy leads through an encounter with a giant octopus. Others may see the film as a reflection on artistic representations of the female body and the pleasure of looking at them or simply as an erotic thriller with a clear and cohesive narrative in the manner of Hitchcock. Beneath the beautiful surface, however, there are enough other layers with which Park seems to be so fascinated that you'll want to see The Handmaiden several times despite its extraordinary length and slowly rising pace. (14.08.2016)