LGBTQ+ Cinema Discussion: THE HANDMAIDEN

Movie Spotlight on THE HANDMAIDEN
Join Movie Club Member Elliot J. for the next installment of their series highlighting LGBTQ+ films. This month's movie is 2016's The Handmaiden, directed by Park Chan-wook.

Here's how The Portland Movie Club Meet-Ups work:

1. Just like a book club, we watch the movie before we meet.
2. We'll meet at Lucky Lab at 4pm (map) on the scheduled day & date. We typically have a sign at our table(s), but even when we don't, we try to be obvious and identifiable. Our favorite spots are the meeting room and the (heated) back patio.
3. Grab some food and drinks and spend some time socializing and discussing this movie with us!

A few notes about The Handmaiden:
The Handmaiden is director Park Chan-wook’s 2016 adaptation of Sarah Waters’s landmark sapphic thriller, The Fingersmith. Park, the celebrated director of contemporary revenge classics such as 2003’s Oldboy, moves the story from 19th century England to twentieth century Korea, during the time of Japanese rule. Retaining Waters’s twistily gothic approach, as well as many of her touchstones, Park’s film involves both the furtive-yet-posh society of wealthy pornography collectors, and the more hardscrabble world of the professional pickpocket. Described as visually lush, sexually graphic, and entertainingly idiosyncratic by critics, and as an intentionally feminist work by Park himself, the film has a score of 85% on Metacritic, and a score of 96% on RottenTomatoes.com.

Trigger Notes: This film does contain depictions of assault, child abuse, and other material that may cause issues for some viewers. For a more granular breakdown of the film's potential triggers, please see its entry on doesthedogdie.com.

Viewing Options:
Streaming options reportedly include Amazon, Fandango At Home and AppleTV+. The film was released on DVD and Blu-Ray in 2017, but region A copies appear to be scarce, domestically, at this time. Do be aware the the two-disc special edition was a region B only release.

LGBTQ+ Portland Movie Club Meet-Up Cinema Series
LGBTQ+ characters and themes have been present throughout film history dating back to pre-Hays Code era. The relationship between film and the LGBTQ+ community has had its ups and downs over the years and has been continually changing. This discussion group will highlight some key films that mark these changes and shed light upon the vast selection of LGBTQ+ films which cinema has to offer.

Tips:

1. Haven't seen the movie in a while? You're in for a treat - try to watch the movie sometime before we meet. As with a book club, we don't watch the movie at our meetup, we just discuss it. You don't have to watch the movie to join us, but it'll be more fun if you do.
2. Some members enjoy researching the films and sharing what they find with the group. Others prefer to engage with the films in a more casual way. Both approaches are absolutely fine! Most PMC members land somewhere in the middle. You may find it useful to take notes as you watch, but definitely don't feel obligated. At the end of the day, we're here to socialize and have fun.
3. If you come up with any discussion topics you'd like to explore with the group, bring them with you! We love fresh eyes and new voices!

Some of the films previously viewed and discussed in this series of PMC Meet-Ups have included: Portrait Of A Lady On Fire, But I'm a Cheerleader, Sleepaway Camp, I Saw The TV Glow, Tangerine, Dog Day Afternoon, Gus Van Sant's My Own Private Idaho, the documentary Paris Is Burning, and Gregg Araki’s The Doom Generation, Mysterious Skin*, and* Nowhere,

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