In Japanese-occupied Korea, con artist Count Fujiwara hires petty thief Sook-hee to work as a maid in a Western-style mansion. The plan: Sook-hee will serve Hideko, a beautiful heiress whom Fujiwara is trying to charm in order to swindle her family fortune. However, when Sook-hee's relationship with Hideko grows beyond the boundaries of friendship, Sook-hee uncovers the horrid secrets of the mansion and its master, Kouzuki, who is also Hideko’s uncle and guardian.

Adapted from Fingersmith, the novel by the English author Sarah Waters, The Handmaiden tackles a wide variety of controversial subjects, from sexual deviance to the history of Korean racial politics. Director Park Chan-wook once again displays his inimitable ability to craft an entertaining motion picturewhile pushing the limits of what a commercial audience might expect. The mischievous auteur toys with the concept of male gaze and breaks away from traditional genre conventions.

M+ Cinema presents an extended cut of The Handmaiden, with over 20 minutes of footage not included in its original theatrical release.

Park Chan-wook (b. 1963, South Korea) studied philosophy at Sogang University in the 1980s. After working as a film critic for many years, Park made his directorial debut with The Moon Is... the Sun's Dream (1992), followed by Trio (1997). His political thriller Joint Security Area (2000) received rave reviews and became the high-grossing film in South Korea at the time. Park then directed Sympathy for Mr. Vengeance (2001), the first of his ‘Vengeance Trilogy’, followed by Oldboy (2003), which was awarded the Grand Prix at the Cannes Film Festival, and Lady Vengeance (2005). After the intense trio, Park directed the offbeat romantic comedy I’m a Cyborg, But That’s OK (2005). In 2009, he subverted expectations with the genre-bending vampire film Thirst. Park made his American debut with Stoker in 2013. Meanwhile, his streak at Cannes continued with The Handmaiden (2016) and Decision to Leave (2022), for which he was awarded Best Director.