Sarah Walters's novel 'Fingersmith', a tale of power, perversion, pornography and passion in Victorian England, gets a lavish Korean makeover in Park Choon-Wok's movie 'The Handmaiden'. It's certainly visually and thematically rich and provocative as it slides between frequently explicit romance, comedy and horror: if in part it aims to shock, it certainly does so in style. However, I struggled to like any of the characters, all of whom seem as selfish and ruthless as each other, and felt no especial sympathy for the female leads simply because they happen to fall in love/list for each other. The film should perhaps be seen as a paean to desire, in all its oddness and intensity. But for all the artistry, I never quite escaped the feeling of a tale told by schoolchildren, snickering behind the bikesheds.
Review of The Handmaiden
