Park Chan-Wook’s (Oldboy) “The Handmaiden” is a love story, thriller and subversive Gothic film set in Japanese-occupied Korea (and Japan itself) in the 1930s. It is by turns beautiful, bestial, occasionally brutal. The story centers around a plucky pickpocket ( Kim Tae-ri), who gets a job as a handmaiden at the estate of a rich and eccentric book collector (Lee Yong-nyeo), serving him and Lady Hideko (Kim Min-hee), the niece of his late wife. There's also a scheme devised by a poor Korean fisherman who presents as a fake Japanese count and desires to marry the heiress before committing her to an asylum to claim her fortune. We don't want to give much away in this non-linear film but urge you to give it a try (note it's NSFW)...you'll never look at mannequins, thimbles, silver bells, or octopus the same way again.Intrigued? Good. You should be. Afternoona Delight Newsletter!Want longer reviews? Our thoughts on Kim Woo Bin's hair in a 500-word essay? This is the place to get it. Sign up HERE!Ready to download your first audiobook? Don't forget to click here for your free Audible trial: http://www.audibletrial.com/afternoona*Audible is a sponsor of Afternoona Delight Podcast*Are your family and friends sick of you talking about K-drama? We get it...and have an answer. Join our AfterNoona Delight Patreon and find community among folks who get your obsession. And check out www.afternoonadelight.com for more episodes, book recs and social media goodness.Love BTS? Or curious what all the fuss is about? Check out our sister pod Afternoona Army for "thinky, thirsty and over thirty" takes on Bangtan life.Show Notes:The Handmaiden TrailerSarah Waters: ‘The Handmaiden turns pornography into a spectacle – but it's true to my novel' (The Guardian, 2017)

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