Just based on who is telling the story, the narrative can completely change. It’s all about perspective. This becomes an important element in The Handmaiden, Park Chan-wook’s new film inspired by the novel Fingersmith by British author Sarah Waters. The South Korean director’s approach to the material is important. He shows a keen understanding of what the story is essentially about while giving himself a little bit of room to inject his own interpretation of the story. The key word there is little. The Handmaiden strives to be the erotic fantasy it wants to be, but still delivers as a sumptuous exploration of storytelling.

An orphaned Korean pickpocket (Kim Tae-ri) is hired to serve as the handmaiden to a young and rich Japanese lady living on a private estate. Little does the wealthy Japanese woman know, but the new handmaiden is secretly plotting with a conman to...