The Handmaiden

・The Effect of Shifting the Setting to the Japanese Colonial Period

Kim Song (2018) argued that the late nineteenth-century Victorian era in Britain, the setting of the original novel Fingersmith, was a period in which women were confined to the domestic sphere and their sexuality was controlled under a strict patriarchal system and the dominance of capital.^[83]

In contrast, the 1930s Japanese colonial period, the setting of The Handmaiden, was marked by an atmosphere of confusion shaped by fascination with and admiration for modern culture and new ideas.^[84][85]

Writer Jung Seo-kyung stated that she selected the Japanese colonial period because it was a time when social mobility was possible and the concept of "fake aristocrats" could function effectively, while cultural conflict was intensified by the unique circumstances of colonial rule.^[85]

Kim Song (2018) further argued that this shift in historical setting deepens the film's themes by linking the mechanisms of female oppression not only to patriarchy but also to colonial power structures.^[83]

・Colonial Assimilation Policies and the Control of Women

Kim Song (2018) argued that while the original setting focused on the "binary separation of home and society," the Japanese colonial setting reorganized colonial power and the national ideology of modernization into a system that controlled women's bodies and education under the logic that "the civilization of women is the civilization of the nation".^[83]

According to Kim Song (2018), the Japanese colonial government viewed Korean women as individuals responsible for raising imperial subjects assimilated into the Japanese Empire. As part of its colonial policies, it emphasized practical education such as housekeeping, sewing, and needlework rather than academic instruction, thereby reinforcing women's confinement to the domestic sphere.^[83]

・Connection to the Discourse of the "New Woman."

Kim Song (2018) argued that a class of "New Women" emerged through modern education. These women experienced a sense of liberation, rejected traditional customs and outdated ideologies, and developed both a thirst for knowledge and an awareness of women's emancipation.^[83]

However, Kim Song (2018) also noted that contemporary society viewed these women as both objects of male desire and as "morally corrupt women who had abandoned chastity" or "women consumed by vanity and luxury," subjecting them to overt sexual stigmatization and criticism.^[83]

Kim Song (2018) regarded this historical context as an important framework for understanding the multiple forms of oppression experienced by the female characters in The Handmaiden.^[83]

・Kouzuki

In the original work, the uncle (Christopher) is portrayed as a man who steals his niece's life, trains her to read erotic literature aloud, and attempts to seize her inheritance.^[85][86]

In contrast, the film's Kouzuki is portrayed as a character with a deep passion for books who constructs his own theatrical world. He is depicted as a Korean living in a grand mansion who pretends to be Japanese, admires Western culture, and praises Japan.^[85]

Kim Yoo-tae (2025) and others have noted that Kouzuki expands far beyond the relatively minor role occupied by his counterpart in the original novel. According to these analyses, he becomes a much more complex and dynamic character who embodies the internalization of dominant power structures and occupies a significantly larger role in the narrative.^[85][86]

・Count Fujiwara

Cho Hye-jeong (2016) observed that, unlike the gentleman in the original novel, who is portrayed as a con artist and villain, Count Fujiwara is reimagined as Kim Pan-dol, the son of a Jeju Island farmhand who poses as a Japanese nobleman while reproducing paintings.^[82]

In an interview, director Park Chan-wook stated that he portrayed the Count as an ordinary man who fails because of the way he was raised and educated, making him a figure who evokes sympathy and charm rather than simple condemnation.^[87]

Park also explained that the decision to make the Count a native of Jeju Island was influenced by the historical presence of Japanese migrants on the island and by the social prejudice directed toward shamans at the time.^[88]

According to Park, the Count is portrayed as a man who abandoned his homeland and went to Japan, where he became involved in exploitative and criminal practices and gradually developed a distorted perception of women.^[88]

・The Agency of Sook-hee and Hideko

Kim Yu-tae (2025) and Cho Hye-jeong (2016) argued that the film The Handmaiden makes the agency and solidarity of the two female protagonists more evident by omitting the conventional narrative devices of the original novel—namely, the “secret of birth” and the “identity-switch twist”. ^[82][86]While the original novel Fingersmith ends lyrically with the two protagonists parting and then reuniting, the film is characterized by a happy ending in which both characters unequivocally succeed in both revenge and love.^[85]

• Sook-hee (Susan in the original novel): Kim Yu-tae (2025) and Cho Hye-jeong (2016) observed that, unlike Susan in the original novel—who was a pickpocket attempting to steal Maud’s life for financial gain—Sook-hee was portrayed as a bold and proactive character possessing much brighter and more positive energy. ^[82][86]Cho Hye-jeong (2016) interpreted Sook-hee’s proactive actions as leading to a transformative shift in Hideko, giving her the courage to shake off the inner fear and helplessness that had become ingrained in her.^[82] Writer Jeong Seo-kyung explained that she established a bond in which Sook-hee cares for Hideko and teaches her the love she knows.^[85]

• Hideko (Maud from the original work): Cho Hye-jeong (2016) noted that, unlike Maud in the original work, who succumbs to her fate after learning the truth about her biological mother, Hideko possesses the audacity to use Sook-hee and conspire with the Count.^[82] Furthermore, Cho Hye-jeong (2016) analyzed that Hideko was elevated to a character who plans and acts with great deliberation in meeting Sook-hee, her savior, and transforming her own life. ^[82]Cho Hye-jeong (2016) assessed that, rather than simplifying the story by removing Mrs. Sucksby’s narrative and the birth-secret plot, the film reassigned part of Mrs. Sucksby’s narrative function as the planner of the scheme to Hideko, thereby strengthening Hideko’s leading role. ^[82]Writer Jeong Seo-kyung interpreted Hideko as a character who fully realizes the knowledge she had only learned from books through the lessons of love taught to her by Sook-hee.^[85]

・Interpretations of the Erotic Book Reading Session

Writer Jeong Seo-kyung and others noted that while the original novel does not detail the contents of the erotic books and merely describes the gentlemen clapping their hands, the film concretely depicts the actual reading scene. ^[85]Writer Jeong Seo-kyung interpreted that, although Kouzuki’s intention was to turn Hideko into a sexual plaything for the gentlemen, Hideko confidently reads the erotic story through her bold performance, ultimately reversing the power dynamic by controlling the gentlemen and striking back against them.^[85]

・The Character of the Mansion and the Study

Art Director Ryu Seong-hee stated that she meticulously recreated and transformed spaces to convey emotions and the period's atmosphere beyond what dialogue or text alone could express.^[84]

Cho Hye-jeong (2016) argued that while the original novel evokes the gloomy urban atmosphere of a London slum, the significant spaces in The Handmaiden are the Kouzuki mansion, the mental hospital, and Hideko's room.^[82]

Ryu Seong-hee explained that Kouzuki's study combines Western and Japanese design elements, with bookshelves and tatami floors connected by stairways, and a tokonoma that functions as a stage where the object of observation sits at the center.^[85]

Ryu also stated that the artificial Japanese garden hidden beneath the tatami mats, containing water and white sand, serves as an aesthetic device that exposes Kouzuki's hidden desires and inner world.^[85]

・Sliding Doors and Spatial Division

Ryu Seong-hee and others explained that, unlike the original novel in which the two protagonists occupy rooms connected by a hinged door, the film places them in separate rooms divided by a single sliding door.^[85]

According to Ryu, this arrangement visually represents class differences through the contrast between Hideko, who sleeps in a large and elegant bed, and Sook-hee, who sleeps in a narrow and dark closet-like space.^[85]

Ryu further argued that the sliding door heightens the senses by allowing the characters to perceive even the sound of breathing from the other side, thereby suggesting that class differences ultimately fail to become an obstacle to love.^[85]

・The Aunt's Room and the Destruction of Books

Cho Hye-jeong (2016) viewed Hideko's aunt (Moon So-ri)—a character created specifically for the film—as a pivotal figure who encapsulates both the atmosphere of the Kouzuki mansion and Hideko's trauma.^[82]

Cho Hye-jeong (2016) interpreted the aunt's presence as visually representing the madness and lifelessness associated with the mansion. According to Cho, the aunt, who ultimately commits suicide after attempting to escape the erotic readings forced upon her by Kouzuki, provides a narrative basis for Hideko's ability to find hope through solidarity with her savior.^[82]

Cho Hye-jeong (2016) also noted that while Maud destroys the books alone in the original novel, the film transforms this act into a joint effort by the two protagonists, presenting it as a form of collective resistance against patriarchal authority.^[82]

・The Symbolism of the Escape Scene

Inagaki (2021) focused on the scene in which Sook-hee creates a foothold for Hideko as they attempt to escape to the boat where the Count is waiting.^[89]

According to Inagaki (2021), this scene functions as a metaphor for overcoming a psychological barrier created by years of oppression and trauma through solidarity with Sook-hee.^[89]

Inagaki (2021) ultimately assessed that this scene visually demonstrates Hideko's acquisition of the courage to pursue her own liberation.^[89]