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'The Handmaiden' Is the Lesbian Themed Film We've Been Waiting for This Season
Critics are going wild for this stylized retelling of Sarah Waters' beloved novel Fingersmith.
Novelist Sarah Waters’ (Tipping the Velvet) beloved lesbian-themed novel Fingersmith gets a whole new look with director Park Chan-wook’s interpretation entitled The Handmaiden, set during the Japanese occupation of Korea. From the New York Times to The Atlantic, the film has gotten rave reviews for its sumptuous beauty and attention to detail, not to mention what are purportedly some very erotic scenes between the female leads. The good news is that the film is out today, so if you can’t wait to see it, you don’t have to!
The film wraps a love story between women into a con game as Kim Min-hee play Lady Hideko, a young Japanese woman locked in virtual seclusion at her creepy uncle’s manor until her Korean handmaiden Sookee (Kim Tae-ri) arrives to care for her. Sookee (a slick pickpocket) does not turn up with pure motives, however, as she’s part of a con put on by a character called The Count (Ha Jung-woo) who’s intent on fleecing Lady Hideko’s uncle of his money by marrying Hideko and eventually having her committed. But soon the con Sookee attempts to pull off is derailed by what appears to be authentic love for Hideko. Cue the corsets and sexy bath time.
Watch the trailer and a few of the clips below!
Here's the clip called "Dress Up." This is where the corsets come in.
Here's "The Bath," which is pretty self-explanatory.
And here's the full, wildly stylized trailer.
Tracy E. Gilchrist is the VP, Executive Producer of Entertainment for the Advocate Channel. A media veteran, she writes about the intersections of LGBTQ+ equality and pop culture. Previously, she was the editor-in-chief of The Advocate and the first feminism editor for the 55-year-old brand. In 2017, she launched the company's first podcast, The Advocates. She is an experienced broadcast interviewer, panel moderator, and public speaker who has delivered her talk, "Pandora's Box to Pose: Game-changing Visibility in Film and TV," at universities throughout the country.
Tracy E. Gilchrist is the VP, Executive Producer of Entertainment for the Advocate Channel. A media veteran, she writes about the intersections of LGBTQ+ equality and pop culture. Previously, she was the editor-in-chief of The Advocate and the first feminism editor for the 55-year-old brand. In 2017, she launched the company's first podcast, The Advocates. She is an experienced broadcast interviewer, panel moderator, and public speaker who has delivered her talk, "Pandora's Box to Pose: Game-changing Visibility in Film and TV," at universities throughout the country.
