WATCH PARTY: The Handmaiden (2016) dir. by Park-Chan Wook @ Mary Pretlow Library

From the director of Decision to Leave and the Vengeance Trilogy. Haven't seen this one, but I'm expecting a beautiful mindf*ck on the order of Oldboy.

RUNTIME: 144 minutes

SYNOPSIS: "You poor, poor thing… You've fallen in love with a fake."

In 1930s Joseon, Lady Hideko was raised in isolation under the surveillance of her strict uncle, Kouzuki, after her parents passed away when she was young. One day, Sook-hee, a girl around Hideko's age, is introduced to her as her handmaiden. Sook-hee is a daughter of a famous thief and an orphan pickpocket raised by a fence. Under the recommendation of the Count, who planned to seduce Hideko and steal her inheritance, Sook-hee becomes her handmaiden. The lonely lady who only ever read books in her uncle's library opens up to Sook-hee, who seems so innocent and begins to depend on her. The Count and Sook-hee sway Hideko in different ways and destroy the peace of the manor. Will the guilt and love be enough to save this lady?

A captivating story of the swindler Count and Sook-hee deceiving each other to steal the fortune and love surrounding the guardian and the lady begins now!

BLURBS:
"There may not be a director currently working who's more of an evil genius, or whose movies offer more double-edged delights." -Ty Burr, Boston Globe

"The Handmaiden is just pure cinema, a dizzying, disturbing fable of love and betrayal that piles on luxurious imagery, while never losing track of its story's human core." - David Sims, The Atlantic

"Go see it. If you love cinema at all, go see it." - Tom Long, Detroit News