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The Handmaiden - Portrait of Desire

Japanese heiress Hideko languishes in her golden cage, but finds distraction with new maid Sook-Hee. Can she really trust her?

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Deze voorstelling maakt deel uit van Rialto Filmclub met als gastspreker deze maand Ernst-Jan Pfauth.

On August 5 introduced by Hasret Emine

The Handmaiden

Korea, 1930s, the period of the Japanese occupation. On a large, gated estate, Japanese heiress Lady Hideko lives with her tyrannical uncle Kouzuki, who wants to marry her. Then the new maid appears on the scene: Sook-hee. For the reclusive Hideko, her arrival is a very welcome break from her monotonous existence and a close bond soon develops between the two. However, Sook-hee has entered the estate under false pretences. A swindler posing as Count Fujiwara is after Hideko's fortune and Song-hee has to help him. However, the fake count has not seen it coming that Hideko and Song-hee develop really strong feelings for each other.

Director Park Chan-wook based the story of this rock-solid and critically acclaimed erotic thriller on the Victorian crime novel Fingersmith by British Sarah Waters, a writer who has several lesbian, historical novels to her credit. Starring Kim Min-hee and Kim Tae-ri.

Hasret Emine is a creator and researcher whose work has been seen and heard at Paradiso Noord / Tolhuistuin, Amsterdam Museum, Mama Rotterdam, ILFU and Lilith Magazine, among others. They host PEMBE film club, through which they organize cult film screenings with drag shows and live music. They also collaborate on a documentary about trans refugees in the Netherlands.