SSC 22: The Handmaiden (Park, 2016) w/Hayley Rose Malouin

Tim & Tay talk Park Chan-Wook's The Handmaiden with special guest and self-described "psychotic fan" Hayley Rose Malouin. Tune in for a chat about queer media, cinematic eroticism and more.
 
Synopsis
Based on the novel Fingersmith by Sarah Waters, The Handmaiden tells the story of a pickpocket and a con man attempting to swindle a wealthy Japanese woman out of her inheritance through seduction and subterfuge.

Directed by Park Chan-wook, The Handmaiden was released May 14, 2016, and stars Kim Tae-ri, Kim Min-hee, Ha Jung-woo, and Cho Jin-woong.

The Handmaiden is available to rent on Google Play or stream on Hoopla.
 
Scene [Theatrical—51:32-103:05] / [Extended—1:00:24-1:14:40]
As Uncle Kouzuki leaves for a week to visit his gold mine, the plan for Lady Hideko and Count Fujiwara to elope to Japan commences. After the secret marriage ceremony, the relationship between Lady Hideko and Sook-Hee is seemingly strained by the secrecy they must abide by.
When it comes time to leave Lady Hideko at a mental hospital, it is in fact Sook-Hee who is betrayed at the last minute and is confined to the hospital in her place.

Links

• 3:50 - Indecent Proposal (Lyne, 1993)
• 4:00 - Basic Instinct (Verhoeven, 1992)
• 7:50 - Kim Tae-ri's award
• 11:50 - New Yorker article
• 15:10 - "Bury Your Gays" trope
• 18:50 - Visual Pleasure and Narrative Cinema
• 21:00 - Blue Is The Warmest Color (2013, Kechiche)
• 24:40 - Sarah Waters in The Guardian
• 49:30 - "Comedy wide, tragedy close"
• 1:28:00 - Dark Passage (Daves, 1947)

Recommendations

• Tim: Deep Water (Lyne, 2022)
• Tay: The Ballad of Little Jo (Greenwald, 1993)
• Hayley: Different for Girls (Spence, 1996)—available on Hoopla

All links are verified at the time of publication and based on availability in Canada.

Next episode: Moneyball  (Miller, 2011)—available to stream on Netflix

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