Release CalendarTop 250 MoviesMost Popular MoviesBrowse Movies by GenreTop Box OfficeShowtimes & TicketsMovie NewsIndia Movie Spotlight
    What's on TV & StreamingTop 250 TV ShowsMost Popular TV ShowsBrowse TV Shows by GenreTV News
    What to WatchLatest TrailersIMDb OriginalsIMDb PicksIMDb Podcasts
    OscarsABFFPride MonthOutfest OutfrontsSTARmeter AwardsAwards CentralFestival CentralAll Events
    Born TodayMost Popular CelebsMost Popular CelebsCelebrity News
    Help CenterContributor ZonePolls
For Industry Professionals
  • All
  • Titles
  • TV Episodes
  • Celebs
  • Companies
  • Keywords
  • Advanced Search
Watchlist
Sign In
Sign In
New Customer? Create account
  • Fully supported
  • English (United States)
    Partially supported
  • Français (Canada)
  • Français (France)
  • Deutsch (Deutschland)
  • हिंदी (भारत)
  • Italiano (Italia)
  • Português (Brasil)
  • Español (España)
  • Español (México)
  • Cast & crew
  • User reviews
  • Trivia
IMDbPro

The Handmaiden

Original title: Ah-ga-ssi
  • 2016
  • Not Rated
  • 2h 25m
IMDb RATING
8.1/10
157K
YOUR RATING
POPULARITY
518
35
Kim Min-hee, Ha Jung-woo, Cho Jin-woong, and Kim Tae-ri in The Handmaiden (2016)
Trailer for The Handmaiden
Play trailer1:08
3 Videos
99+ Photos
DramaRomanceThriller

A woman is hired as a handmaiden to a Japanese heiress, but secretly she is involved in a plot to defraud her.A woman is hired as a handmaiden to a Japanese heiress, but secretly she is involved in a plot to defraud her.A woman is hired as a handmaiden to a Japanese heiress, but secretly she is involved in a plot to defraud her.

  • Director
    • Park Chan-wook
  • Writers
    • Sarah Waters
    • Chung Seo-kyung
    • Park Chan-wook
  • Stars
    • Kim Min-hee
    • Ha Jung-woo
    • Cho Jin-woong
  • See production, box office & company info
  • IMDb RATING
    8.1/10
    157K
    YOUR RATING
    POPULARITY
    518
    35
    • Director
      • Park Chan-wook
    • Writers
      • Sarah Waters
      • Chung Seo-kyung
      • Park Chan-wook
    • Stars
      • Kim Min-hee
      • Ha Jung-woo
      • Cho Jin-woong
    • 340User reviews
    • 351Critic reviews
    • 84Metascore
  • See more at IMDbPro
  • Top rated movie #239
    • Won 1 BAFTA Award
      • 70 wins & 108 nominations total

    Videos3

    Official Trailer
    Trailer 1:08
    Watch Official Trailer
    The Handmaiden Official Trailer
    Trailer 1:05
    Watch The Handmaiden Official Trailer
    The Library
    Clip 1:06
    Watch The Library

    Photos154

    Kim Min-hee and Kim Tae-ri in The Handmaiden (2016)
    Kim Min-hee and Kim Tae-ri in The Handmaiden (2016)
    Kim Min-hee in The Handmaiden (2016)
    Kim Tae-ri in The Handmaiden (2016)
    Kim Min-hee at an event for The Handmaiden (2016)
    Kim Min-hee, Ha Jung-woo, Cho Jin-woong, and Kim Tae-ri at an event for The Handmaiden (2016)
    Kim Min-hee and Kim Tae-ri at an event for The Handmaiden (2016)
    Cho Jin-woong at an event for The Handmaiden (2016)
    Park Chan-wook, Kim Min-hee, Ha Jung-woo, Cho Jin-woong, and Kim Tae-ri at an event for The Handmaiden (2016)
    Park Chan-wook, Kim Min-hee, Ha Jung-woo, Cho Jin-woong, and Kim Tae-ri at an event for The Handmaiden (2016)
    Kim Min-hee, Ha Jung-woo, Cho Jin-woong, and Kim Tae-ri in The Handmaiden (2016)
    The Handmaiden (2016)

    Top cast

    Edit
    Kim Min-hee
    Kim Min-hee
    • Lady Hideko
    Ha Jung-woo
    Ha Jung-woo
    • Count Fujiwara
    Cho Jin-woong
    Cho Jin-woong
    • Uncle Kouzuki
    • (as Jin-woong Jo)
    Moon So-ri
    Moon So-ri
    • Aunt of Lady Hideko
    • (as Moon So-Ri)
    Kim Tae-ri
    Kim Tae-ri
    • Sook-Hee
    • (as Tae Ri Kim)
    Yong-nyeo Lee
    Yong-nyeo Lee
    • Bok-soon
    Min-chae Yoo
    • Ggeut-dan
    Dong-hwi Lee
    Dong-hwi Lee
    • Goo-gai
    Kim Hae-sook
    Kim Hae-sook
    • Miss Sasaki
    • (as Hae-suk Kim)
    Kyu-jung Lee
    • Maid 1
    Si-eun Kim
    • Maid 2
    Si-yeon Ha
    • Maid 3
    Rina Takagi
    • Hideko's Mother
    Geun-hee Won
    • Butler
    Jong-Dae Kim
    • Mansion Driver
    Han-sun Jang
    • Kouzuki Porter
    Eun-yeong Kim
    • Maid 4
    Ri-woo Kim
    • Japanese Officer 1
    • Director
      • Park Chan-wook
    • Writers
      • Sarah Waters
      • Chung Seo-kyung
      • Park Chan-wook
    • All cast & crew
    • Production, box office & more at IMDbPro

    More like this

    Memories of Murder
    8.1
    Memories of Murder
    Oldboy
    8.4
    Oldboy
    Lady Vengeance
    7.5
    Lady Vengeance
    Decision to Leave
    7.3
    Decision to Leave
    Thirst
    7.1
    Thirst
    Sympathy for Mr. Vengeance
    7.5
    Sympathy for Mr. Vengeance
    Mother
    7.7
    Mother
    Room
    8.1
    Room
    Parasite
    8.5
    Parasite
    Burning
    7.5
    Burning
    Portrait of a Lady on Fire
    8.1
    Portrait of a Lady on Fire
    I Saw the Devil
    7.8
    I Saw the Devil

    Storyline

    Edit

    Did you know

    Edit
    • Trivia
      The film title in Korean (Ah-ga-ssi) means ''The Lady'' referring to Lady Hideko, while the English/International title is The Handmaiden referring to Sook-hee.
    • Goofs
      The Count uses a propane gas lighter. That was impossible in 1930.
    • Quotes

      Lady Hideko: The daughter of a legendary thief, who sewed winter coats out of stolen purses. Herself a thief, pickpocket, swindler. The saviour who came to tear my life apart. My Tamako. My Sookee.

    • Crazy credits
      During the credits, the moon on the wall in the background shifts from full to new.
    • Alternate versions
      Extended version runs approx. 21 minutes longer.
    • Connections
      Featured in The EE British Academy Film Awards (2018)
    • Soundtracks
      The Song at the End of the Century
      Performed by Kim Tae-ri

      (P) 2016 CJ E&M MUSIC

    User reviews340

    Review
    Review
    Featured review
    10/10
    Tour De Force!
    The controversial film from Korean master Chan-wook Park evokes the sexiness of Abdellatif Kechiche's "Blue is the Warmest Colour" and Park's own signature violence and thrills. Set in the 1930s Japanese occupied Korea, it's a story of a young female pickpocket (Kim Tae-ri) who becomes a handmaiden to a beautiful Japanese heiress (Min-hee Kim). However, she must manage to convince the heiress to marry a conman (Jung-woo Ha) who poses as a count, for which she will get a chance for a better life. She gets into a moral dilemma when she starts developing feelings for the heiress.

    The Handmaiden is a triumph on every level. The film is divided into three chapters, all giving different perspective. This way, the story is perfectly structured to give more and more insight as the film progresses, but at the same time, keep the viewers guessing. It offers a few surprises along the way as well. Visually, it's a feast for the eyes. The term "every frame a painting" gets overused, but it really fits here. I'm not only talking about cinematography, which offered plenty of memorable shots and beautiful scenery, but the costume and set design. The three leads all gave terrific performances. Musical score by Yeong-wook evokes, or better said, amplifies the emotions and the suspenseful tone. Despite the run time of 2 hours and 24 minutes, it never gets dull, it's very evenly paced throughout. I couldn't look away for a second.

    One thing needs to be addressed, the film is quite explicit. That being said, it never gets vulgar, the sex scenes are done in perfect taste, they never feel out of place and they're not there just for the sake of it. The relationship between the characters and the physical presentation of it are integral to the film. It's a film about passion, abuse, jealousy, betrayal and deception, but most of all, it's an atypical love story, which will make one love and hate the protagonists at the same time. It's original and daring work of art that will stick with viewers long after it's finished.

    Whenever Chan-wook Park makes a film, it must undoubtedly be compared to his masterpiece, "Oldboy". I don't think that "The Handmaiden" surpasses it, but it comes very close. With this film, he proved himself to be one of the greatest working directors today. It's the best film I've seen this year, one that I can't wait to revisit. It's not to be missed.
    helpful•103
    31
    • Stijak91
    • Sep 19, 2016

    Top picks

    Sign in to rate and Watchlist for personalized recommendations
    Sign in

    Details

    Edit
    • Release date
      • June 1, 2016 (South Korea)
    • Country of origin
      • South Korea
    • Official sites
      • Amazon.com
      • Official Facebook
    • Languages
      • Korean
      • Japanese
    • Also known as
      • Người Hầu Gái
    • Filming locations
      • Nagoya, Aichi, Japan
    • Production companies
      • CJ Entertainment
      • Moho Film
      • Yong Film
    • See more company credits at IMDbPro

    Box office

    Edit
    • Budget
      • ₩10,000,000,000 (estimated)
    • Gross US & Canada
      • $2,006,788
    • Opening weekend US & Canada
      • $92,129
      • Oct 23, 2016
    • Gross worldwide
      • $37,854,655
    See detailed box office info on IMDbPro

    Technical specs

    Edit
    • Runtime
      2 hours 25 minutes
    • Color
      • Color
    • Sound mix
      • Dolby Digital
      • Dolby Atmos
      • Dolby Surround 7.1
    • Aspect ratio
      • 2.35 : 1

    Related news

    Contribute to this page

    Suggest an edit or add missing content
    Kim Min-hee, Ha Jung-woo, Cho Jin-woong, and Kim Tae-ri in The Handmaiden (2016)
    Top Gap
    What is the streaming release date of The Handmaiden (2016) in the United States?
    Answer
    • See more gaps
    • Learn more about contributing
    Edit page

    More to explore

    Recently viewed

    Please enable browser cookies to use this feature. Learn more.
    Get the IMDb App
    Sign in for more accessSign in for more access
    • Get the IMDb App
    • Help
    • Site Index
    • IMDbPro
    • Box Office Mojo
    • IMDb Developer
    • Press Room
    • Advertising
    • Jobs
    • Conditions of Use
    • Privacy Policy
    • Your Ads Privacy Choices
    IMDb, an Amazon company

    © 1990-2023 by IMDb.com, Inc.