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The Handmaiden

The Handmaiden

8,2 /10 (4,413 Votes)
2016 KO 145 min

Overview

1930s Korea, in the period of Japanese occupation, a new girl, Sook-hee, is hired as a handmaiden to a Japanese heiress, Hideko, who lives a secluded life on a large countryside estate with her domineering Uncle Kouzuki. But the maid has a secret. She is a pickpocket recruited by a swindler posing as a Japanese Count to help him seduce the Lady to steal her fortune.

Stream

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Release date

01/06/2016

Votes

4,413

Popularity

19.7

You're the one being tricked.

Status

Released

Original title

아가씨

Language

KO

Runtime

145 min

Budget

$8,575,000

Revenue

$38,600,000

Kim Min-hee

Kim Min-hee

Lady Hideko

Kim Tae-ri

Kim Tae-ri

Sook-hee

Ha Jung-woo

Ha Jung-woo

Count Fujiwara

Cho Jin-woong

Cho Jin-woong

Uncle Kouzuki

Kim Hae-sook

Kim Hae-sook

Ms. Sasaki

Moon So-ri

Moon So-ri

Hideko's Aunt

Lee Yong-nyeo

Lee Yong-nyeo

Bok-soon

Kwak Eun-jin

Kwak Eun-jin

Kkeut-dan

Lee Dong-hwi

Lee Dong-hwi

Goo-gai

Jo Eun-hyung

Jo Eun-hyung

Young Hideko

Rina Takagi

Rina Takagi

Hideko's Mother

Han Ha-na

Han Ha-na

Junko

Lee Kyu-jung

Lee Kyu-jung

Maid 1

Kim See-eun

Kim See-eun

Maid 2

Ha Si-yeon

Ha Si-yeon

Maid 3

No photo

Kim Eun-yeong

Maid 4

Jeong Ha-dam

Jeong Ha-dam

Maid 5

Yoo Min-chae

Yoo Min-chae

Ggeut-dan

Won Geun-hee

Won Geun-hee

Butler

No photo

Kim Jong-dae

Mansion Driver

No photo

Jang Han-sun

Kouzuki Porter

Kim Lee-woo

Kim Lee-woo

Japanese Officer 1

Shinsuke Fujimoto

Shinsuke Fujimoto

Japanese Officer 2

No photo

Katsuhiro Nagano

Monk

Lee Ji-ha

Lee Ji-ha

Female Owner of Ryokan

Tomomitsu Adachi

Tomomitsu Adachi

Mental Hospital Doctor 1

No photo

Takashi Kakizawa

Mental Hospital Doctor 2

No photo

Hwang Seo-yoon

Mental Hospital Nurse 1

No photo

Park Do-young

Mental Hospital Nurse 2

Lee Ji-hye

Lee Ji-hye

Young Hideko's Maid 1

No photo

Heo So-yeon

Young Hideko's Maid 2

Lee Yoon-jae

Lee Yoon-jae

'The Golden Lotus' Reading Guest 1

Choi Jong-ryul

Choi Jong-ryul

'The Golden Lotus' Reading Guest 2

Kim Joon-woo

Kim Joon-woo

'The Golden Lotus' Reading Guest 3

No photo

Bae Il-hyuck

'The Golden Lotus' Reading Guest 4

Kim Soo-woong

Kim Soo-woong

'The Golden Lotus' Reading Guest 5

No photo

Jo Yong-hyun

'The Golden Lotus' Reading Guest 6

Park Kee-ryung

Park Kee-ryung

'The Whip Speaks' Reading Guest 1

Choi Byung-mo

Choi Byung-mo

'The Whip Speaks' Reading Guest 2

Han Chang-hyun

Han Chang-hyun

'The Whip Speaks' Reading Guest 3

Kim In-woo

Kim In-woo

'The Whip Speaks' Reading Guest 4

Kwon Hyuk

Kwon Hyuk

'The Whip Speaks' Reading Guest 5

Im Hyeong-tae

Im Hyeong-tae

'The Whip Speaks' Reading Guest 6

Oh Man-seok

Oh Man-seok

'Bells of Passion' Reading Guest 1

No photo

Kim Byung Gi

'Bells of Passion' Reading Guest 2

No photo

Kim In-su

'Bells of Passion' Reading Guest 3

No photo

Alexander Scarborough

Pyeonghwa Hotel Restaurant Manager

No photo

Jin-Chul Kim

Pyeonghwa Hotel Restaurant Guest 1

No photo

Do-Hyung Kim

Pyeonghwa Hotel Restaurant Guest 2

No photo

Eun-ji Hong

Pyeonghwa Hotel Restaurant Guest 3

Song Da-eun

Song Da-eun

Pyeonghwa Hotel Restaurant Guest 4

Jeong In-kyeom

Jeong In-kyeom

Ronin 1

No photo

Nam Gyeong-min

Ronin 2

Ahn Seong-bong

Ahn Seong-bong

Harbor Ticket Office Ronin

Seon Uk-hyeon

Seon Uk-hyeon

Harbor Ticket Office Staff

Lee In-chul

Lee In-chul

Photo Studio Owner

Original Soundtrack

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Reno

Reno

2017-08-10

⭐ 8

**In the circle of romance, deceive and defraud.** Those who are into the world cinema, particularly the Korean, knows Park Chan-wook very well. But if you don't, then you must. His films are definitely for the grown ups. Like everybody else, my admiration for his work has started a decade ago with the film 'Oldboy'. He had tried his luck in Hollywood with 'Stoker'. Despite a good entertainer, it was criticised. I love Park Chan-wook doing hundred masterpieces like this in Korea than trying to do one in Hollywood. His ability to turn the good book into a great flick was phenomenal. Here it …

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CinemaSerf

CinemaSerf

2023-01-05

⭐ 7

Talk about the best laid plans! This is a cracking, sexy, thriller set in Korea during the Japanese occupation of the 1930s. It centres around the charming, butter-wouldn't-melt "Sook-Hee" (Tae Ri Kim) who takes a job attending the wealthy "Lady Hideko" (Kim Min-hee). She lives on a grand estate with her cantankerous uncle "Kouzuki" (Cho Jin-woong) and is frankly rather low maintenance for her new maid. Pretty quickly, though, we begin to smell a rat! Is she what she seems, and what has the obviously duplicitous "Count" (Ha Jung-woo) got to do with things? Well gradually, we find out that ther…

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A

Alunauwie

2025-09-23

⭐ 9

The Handmaiden, adapted from Sarah Waters' Fingersmith, masterfully transposes the 19th-century London setting to 1930s Japanese-occupied Korea, creating a rich and visually stunning historical backdrop. Told in three intricately woven chapters, the film unfolds with gripping suspense, emotional depth, and narrative twists that keep viewers fully engaged. With award-winning cinematography, meticulous artistic direction, and powerful performances—especially from debut actress Kim Tae Ri—The Handmaiden stands out as a bold, sensual, and unforgettable cinematic achievement that expertly blends my…

Read full review →