I just watched the Handmaiden and y’all, this movie was crazy. Going in, all I knew was this film is critically acclaimed, contains twists of some sort, came out in 2016, and it’s a korean GL. Looking at the cover of it, I thought this was gonna be a realistic, depressing melodrama where the rich girl was to be engaged to an asshole and her abused handmaiden falls in love with her. But it can’t be cuz they’re both girls and it’ll have a sad or bittersweet ending like majority of kdramas. THAT IS NOT WHAT THIS WAS.
Whatever expectations and predictions you have going in is pointless. I first heard about this film when Friendly Rivalry was coming out. And people’s reaction to the bathtub kiss in that show made me think it was the first onscreen korean gl kiss, at least in official aired media. So I went into the Handmaiden fully prepared to not get a kiss. OH WE DID MORE THAN KISSING. I was gagged and I’ve heard there’s been complaints that the sex scenes “pandered to the male gaze”. And I can understand that worry, especially since a man directed the film and it came out in sk. But when I was watching it I wasn’t thinking that. All I thought was “oh my god they let explicit lesbian sex be shown in 2016 korean theaters. Oh my god someone’s ahjumma saw girls 69-ing on cam.”
And like, the whole issue this film portrays is that these girls have been objectified by men and are constant victims to the male gaze and are forced to pander men and their sick fantasies. That’s the main criticism the movie gives so I don’t understand why they would purposely bring that mentality to its sapphic sex scenes where the characters free themselves from those chains. I can see maybe cinematography can imply objectification even if that wasn’t the intent but I didn’t think that watching.
Finally, we see straight sex all the time but whenever queer sex is to be portrayed, everyone has to step on eggshells. Yes, you should respect the community of whose story you’re telling but I also think if you wanna display it in its rawness, go for it. Queer women deserve to have their experiences and lives told without diluting it for anyone. Why is every explicit sapphic moment automatically pandering to men? Why are they not allowed to have scenes like that?
Anyway, those are my overall thoughts on that. The plot twists were great, Sookee and Hideko were so big-brained I stood up and applauded. I’m so glad these two women combined their joint slay and screwed over the disgusting men in their lives. Lesbians getting their happy ending in a movie, not common but it’s always possible.
