The Handmaiden [2016]

Maverick Korean filmmaker Park Chan-wook’s movies have always been about unhinged outsiders – be it men (Sympathy for Mr. Vengeance, Oldboy, Cut) or women (Lady Vengeance, I’m A Cyborg but that’s Ok, Stoker) – who operate outside the conventional social dynamics, and invariably end up instigating violent, even operatic, chain reactions. In a fabulous continuation of that thematic trend in his filmography, The Handmaiden is a lush, gorgeously mounted, deliciously twisted and gloriously unpredictable tale with a script that progressively upped its delirious idiosyncrasy like a sumptuous orchestra; it also had Park’s quintessential signature all over in his penchant for gallows humour, shocking violence and outré in general. Adapted from the novel Fingersmith, but the setting transplanted from Victorian-era Britain to colonial-era Japanese-occupied Korea, the film also bristles with subversive political and stirring feminist subtexts, which made this more than just a thriller. The intricately structured gothic tale – where one sees moments from Chapter 1 in a diametrically different light in Chapter 2, before hell starts breaking loose in Chapter 3 – covers the scintillating relationship between the seemingly placid and immensely wealthy heiress Hideko (Kim Min-hee), a closet femme fatale whose life is controlled by her tyrannical japanophile uncle (Cho Jin-woong) whose grotesque perversions know no bounds, and the sassy Sook-hee (Kim Tae-ri), an attractive pickpocket hired by a conman (Ha Jung-woo) to masquerade as Hideko’s maid. The compelling tale of devious one-upmanship and forbidden romance between these two brilliantly etched and marvelously enacted women, in a rigidly patriarchal social construct, was complemented by elaborately designed set-pieces and sumptuous camera work. The hideous octopus, by the way, gleefully referenced the notorious octopus eating sequence in Oldboy.

Director: Park Chan-wook
Genre: Thriller/Psychological Thriller/Romance
Language: Korean/Japanese
Country: South Korea

Oldboy (Oldeuboi) [2003]

The maverick Korean director Park Chan-Wook has created poetry out of extreme violence and bizarre misfortune in this uniquely visceral movie. The shock therapy dished out is unmistakable. Oldboy tells the mind-boggling and utterly discomforting tale of a simple-minded buffoon Oh Dae-su, who, for apparently no reason is put into solitary confinement for 15 years. When he was least expecting, he is released and given 5 days to uncover the truth. An explosive tale of punishment, vengeance and redemption, the movie is as visually implosive as it is intellectually stimulating. The dénouement is so unanticipated and shocking that it would leave even the most hard-core movie viewers numbed out of their senses. The sudden bursts of histrionics are wonderfully balanced with deadpan humour by the lead actor. The psycho-analytical study of a simple man’s transformation into a mad and ruthless avenger is disquietingly perfect in this dark, riveting thriller. The sheer audacity and technical virtuosity of the director are palpable in every single sequence.


To read a detailed review by me on the complete Vengeance Trilogy, click here.








Director: Park Chan-Wook
Genre: Psychological Drama/Psychological Thriller/Action/Romantic Drama
Language: Korean
Country: South Korea

Death Can Be Beautiful

(Cinemascope thanks guest contributor Ms. Camiele White for her latest contribution. This ingenious and imaginatively titled article is a fascinating look at the portrayal of something as morbid yet poetic as death in cinema. More details on Ms. White may be found below the post)

Humans have always had an inexplicable fascination with death. It’s something that I’ve still not managed to quite grasp, but if I were to throw a theory into the pool, I’d have to say that it may come from an innate fear of it. My cinematic superhero, Guillermo Del Toro, put it quite eloquently when he said that the ultimate fear is decay of the flesh -- the death of the exterior, the end of beauty and youth, a rot that starts from the inside and manifests itself without.

This irrational desire to edge ever closer to the thing that we fear the most gave rise to the gladiatorial matches of the Roman Empire, which bled into the macabre stage plays of the 16^th and 17^th centuries, and carried over into motion picture, allowing people a more visceral connection with the Reaper himself. There have been films depicting the most grisly acts of depravity that man can summon -- from documentary style portrayals of violence (as in the controversial Men of the Sun) to elegant, almost Maudlin, displays of death (most recently, Black Swan).

It bears consideration, however, that the fascination with death comes from a somewhat alternative understanding of beauty. Indeed, Hollywood has managed to show us different sides of ourselves and awaken in us some of those things that we’d rather keep repressed. One, most certainly, must be a keen desire to be destroyed in a way that leaves the world in awe of our absolute perfection, to die magnificently in colours and blue sounds that leave an image forever imprinted in the minds of those who knew us and awakens a sordid interest in us from those who didn’t.

In that sense, I’ve managed to come up with a short chronological list of films that explore the morbidly beautiful side of death:

Suspiria (1977) - I first noticed this trend towards creating luscious colour palettes with human blood in the horror films of the 70s, most notably in one of the most influential horror films of all time, Suspiria. Dario Argento had a twisted sense of the grotesque and gorgeous, splashing Technicolor on every surface and giving rise to the thought that death, perhaps, was a means to become even more elegant than you were in life. One of the most iconic scenes to ever hit the big screen came in the first 30 minutes of the film. Two of the tenants of the ballet school are murdered in the most glorious fashion, beginning with a stabbing, continuing with a hanging through a stained glass ceiling which leads to the second death -- freak impaling compliments of the stained glass ceiling from which the first woman was hung. It’s utterly disturbing and marvellous. Colours giving way to an artscape to be envied.

Game of Death (1978) - Of course, not all death comes from horror films, or even has to be horrific. One of my favourite actors of all time (because of his sheer ease and charm), Bruce Lee, created probably one of the most fantastic fight scenes ever captured on celluloid. Unfortunately, it was cut from the film. However, the preceding dialogue and the power of Lee’s physical perfection led to one of the most beautiful end scenes I’ve ever seen. Lee’s character is face to face with a man who uses modified tonfa (two smooth sticks that usually have handles, but this version doesn’t) to manipulate the focus of his opponent and then attack. His weapons, however, are no match for Lee’s bamboo and “broken rhythm”. Lee had the ability to take fighting and make it rhythmical, a dance that culminated in the glorious fall of his opponents.

Silence of the Lambs (1991) - While not all death is gruesome, the best death scenes seem to be. Second only to Argento’s two and a half minute death sequence, the butterfly splaying is, perhaps, the most terrifyingly beautiful scene ever imprinted into the public psyche. After being put into a public cage, Hannibal Lector is given his dinner, more an elegant meal of rare steak and red wine (Chianti, no doubt). To the sound of a symphony, Lector attacks his keepers like a wild beast (the undercurrent rippling beneath his sophisticated exterior). When the other guards come to find out why the two watching Lector aren’t responding to their calls, they’re welcomed with a splayed torso and sheets depicting butterfly wings in soft light.

Interview with a Vampire (1994) - The last of the genuine vampire films, Interview saw an epicurean Tom Cruise as the irresistible Vampire Lestat and a sensually innocent Brad Pitt as his new foundling, Louis. There are a couple scenes in this film that are worth note. The first, when the impish Kirsten Dunst “murders” Lestat with a pair of scissors. His blood runs from his body and leaves it a pulping shell of himself. In one take, the audience experiences the supposed death of a prince among philanderers. The next scene shows the cruelty of humanity, no matter how far removed from it these new creatures of darkness have become. As a means to punish Louis for destroying their Cirque du Macabre, the vampire collective invades his home, kidnaps him, Dunst, and the new mother figure in her life, and throws the mother and child into an open chamber. When the sunlight comes in hours later, the two are clung together in an ashen exoskeleton of their former selves.

The Cell (2000) - Let’s jus get it out in the open: The Cell is one of my favourite films of all time. So, try as I might to keep this one off the list, it seems to have managed to creep in. In this case, almost every scene is a mess of artistic swirl and elegantly violent delight. The final showdown between Jennifer Lopez’s character and the mythical Mokilok (a sadistic game master, supposedly from a nursery rhyme) is violent, vicious, and uncompromising. The most horrid sequence being when Lopez’s character pulls the oversized nipple piercing clear from his chest. At the end of it all, Mokilok is just the repressed anger and fear of a little boy trapped in a grown man’s body. Lopez turns into a pure nun, intent on freeing this man from his pain, submerging him gently underwater until he suffocates.

Ichi the Killer (2001) - While many scenes of death are beautiful, some are just disgusting and unabashedly vulgar. Enter Takashi Miike, the master of the downright gruesome. Ichi the Killer is wrought with gore and violence so over the top, it’s downright cartoonish. Almost every scene is blood splattered, none more gut wrenching than when our unfortunate antagonist slices a man’s face clean from his skull, only for it to end up sliding down a wall in the hallway.

Equilibrium (2002) - As with Bruce Lee’s ballet of fighting, Equilibrium gives way to some of the most poetic gunplay ever displayed on film. Christian Bale’s character is a straight-laced, unapologetic prophet of a twisted understanding of justice -- cutting off all human emotion before it even manifests itself. The first time he allows his heart to break opens up a new world to him, one in which emotion is not only beautiful, but necessary for life to remain worth living. When he infiltrates the headquarters and takes down an entire army with two guns and the rhythmic movement necessary for efficient killing, it’s almost like watching Baryshnikov at his most elegant.

OldBoy (2003) - As much as I wanted to keep this list short, some films just can’t be surpassed. OldBoy is one of them. There are a couple scenes that are worth mentioning, but the scene that left the biggest impact was the very end -- a confession sequence that showcases self-mutilation of the highest degree and a suicide as tragic as it is beautiful. The images are visceral, leaving the skin tingling from their proximity to the flesh.

Black Swan (2010) - Natalie Portman became the most recent iconic figure to give credence to the beauty of death. The entire film is a build up to the climactic ending sequence. It’s a commentary on the folly of trying to attain absolute perfection, a pretentious goal that ultimately results in a glorious fall from grace. Portman’s character finally reaches the apex of her vulnerable humanity only to succumb to her own paranoia and limitations.

As long as I’ve known anything about film I’ve been aware of how we as humans live for the ability to discover ourselves in a world far removed from where we presently are. Going to the cinema to experience that part of our lives that has yet to act itself out brings us closer to our own mortality without actually having to touch it. We toe the line between what is fear and what is an awkward lust for an elegantly tragic ending.

I have a keen interest in all things that shed light and colour in this dark and, at times, uninspiring world. I love film, all film --ranging from Japanese and Korean horror, to nonsensical action films. The one qualification is that it must, must entertain me. As much as I love watching film, I love even more to write about it. If you want to give me a buzz, I can be reached at madasa [dot] writing [at] gmail [dot] com.

I Saw the Devil [2010]

The Koreans sure know how to make a darn good revenge movie. Kim Jee-Woon, who along with the likes of Park Chan-Wook and Bong Joon-Ho, ranks as one of the most sought after filmmakers working in the country today, has made another interesting entry to that club. The film begins memorably with a petite and vulnerable young lady being brutally murdered by a mysterious vicious-looking drifter (Choi Min-Sik). The girl’s fiancé (Lee Nyung-Hun), who’s a highly skilled special agent, vows to avenge for the murder, and thus ensues a fascinating game of punches and counter-punches between the two blood-thirsty men and a wildly topsy-turvy ride through hell. With each passing moment the movie becomes more and more violent and crazy like the continually upping of the tempo of an orchestra, so much so that it was severely censored for its extreme violence and shocking climax; suffice it to say, the film is not meant for the chicken-hearted. In fact, by the time the movie ends it becomes nearly impossible to differentiate between the “good guy” and the “bad guy”, and therein lies the success of any good revenge thriller. The film boasts of memorable performances by the two men – Choi’s turn as the deliriously vile psychopath was absolutely stupendous, and formed the perfect complement to Lee’s laconic and seemingly placid cop. Interestingly both these actors had already been part of superb vengeance flicks – Oldboy and A Bittersweet Life, respectively.








Director: Kim Jee-Woon
Genre: Thriller/Crime Thriller/Psychological Thriller
Language: Korean
Country: South Korea

100 Best Movies of the 2000's

The 2000’s have been the most incredible time of my two and a half decades’ worth existence. These last ten years have played the most singularly important part in determining not just who I am today, but also, in all probability, in who I will be (or continue to be) in the next few decades that I hope to remain alive.

Some of the most memorable things of my life have occurred in these last 10 years – high school, graduation in mechanical engineering, hostel life, my first job. This was also the time I made some good friends who I hope will last this lifetime, I had my first tryst with love, I learnt to appreciate good books, good music and good cinema (as opposed to their more popular equivalents), I realised my deep and lifelong love for my city Calcutta, and a lot more, not necessarily scandalous, that I rather not recount here at this blog of mine.

So, without further ado, let me present what counts in my opinion the 100 best movies of the first decade of this millennium, or more appropriately, the 100 best of what I have had the utmost pleasure of seeing till now and being immensely enriched by.

1. No Country for Old Men (US, ’06) – Joel & Ethan Coen
2. Utsab (India, ’01) – Rituparno Ghosh
3. Pan’s Labyrinth (Mexico, ’06) – Guillermo Del Toro
4. Oldboy (S. Korea, ’04) – Park Chan-Wook
5. 4 Months, 3 Weeks & 2 Days (Romania, ’07) – Cristian Mungiu
6. A History of Violence (UK/Canada, ’05) – David Cronenberg
7. Yi Yi (Taiwan, ’00) – Edward Yang
8. Shubho Mahurat (India, ’03) – Rituparno Ghosh
9. The Diving Bell & the Butterfly (France, ’07) – Julian Schnabel
10. The White Ribbon (Austria/Germany, ’09) – Michael Haneke

11. 2046 (Hong Kong, ’04) – Wong Kar-Wai
12. Memento (US, ’00) – Christopher Nolan
13. Kill Bill Vol. I & II (US, ’03, ’04) – Quentin Tarantino
14. Revanche (Austria, ’08) – Gotz Spielmann
15. Zodiac (US, ’07) – David Fincher
16. The Proposition (Australia, ’05) – John Hillcoat
17. Eternal Sunshine of the Spotless Mind (US, ’04) – Michel Gondry
18. Amores Perros (Mexico, ’00) – Alejandro Gonzalez Inarritu
19. Sympathy for Mr. Vengeance (S. Korea, ’02) – Park Chan-Wook
20. Let the Right One in (Sweden, ’08) – Tomas Alfredson

21. Before the Devil Knows You’re Dead (US, ’07) – Sidney Lumet
22. 12:08 East of Bucharest (Romania, ’06) – Corneliu Porumboiu
23. Spring, Summer, Autumn, Winter… and Spring (S. Korea, ’03) – Kim Ki-Duk
24. A Bittersweet Life (S. Korea, ’05) – Kim Jee-woon
25. Uzak (Turkey, ’02) – Nuri Bilge Ceylan
26. Memories of Murder (Hong Kong, ’03) – Bong Joon-Ho
27. The Royal Tenenbaums (US, ’01) – Wes Anderson
28. The Edge of Heaven (Turkey/Germany, ’07) – Fatih Akin
29. Capote (US, ’05) – Bennett Miller
30. California Dreamin’ (Romania, ’07) – Cristian Nemescu

31. Herbert (India, ’06) – Suman Mukhopadhyay
32. No Man’s Land (Serbia/Bosnia, ’01) – Danis Tanovic
33. In the Mood for Love (Hong Kong, ’00) – Wong Kar-Wai34. The Assassination of Jesse James by the Coward Robert Ford (US, ’08) – Andrew Dominik35. Dogville (Denmark, ’03) – Lars von Triar
36. Waltz With Bashir (Israel, ’08) – Ari Forman
37. The Lives of Others (Germany, ’06) – Florian Henckel von Donnersmarck
38. Talk to Her (Spain, ’02) – Pedro Almodovar
39. Werckmeister Harmonies (Hungary, ’00) – Bela Tarr
40. Paromitar Ek Din (India, ’00) – Aparna Sen



41. The Death of Mr. Lazarescu (Romania, ’05) – Cristi Puiu
42. Mulholland Drive (US, ’01) – David Lynch
43. Monsoon Wedding (India, '01) - Mira Nair
44. Minority Report (US, ’02) – Steven Spielberg
45. Spider (UK/Canada, ’02) – David Cronenberg
46. City of God (Brazil, ’02) – Fernando Meirelles
47. Cache (Austria, ’05) – Michael Haneke
48. Goodbye, Lenin! (Germany, ’04) – Wolfgang Becker
49. The Girl with the Dragon Tattoo (Sweden, ’09) – Niels Arden Oplev
50. Punch Drunk Love (US, ’02) – Paul Thomas Anderson



51. Shotgun Stories (US, ’07) – Jeff Nichols
52. Omkara (India, ’06) – Vishal Bharadwaj
53. The Squid & the Whale (US, ’05) – Noah Baumbach
54. Before Sunset (US, ’04) – Richard Linklater
55. I’m Not There (US, ’07) – Todd Haynes
56. Bad Education (Spain, ’04) – Pedro Almodovar
57. The Son (France/Belgium, ’02) – Jean-Pierre & Luc Dardenne
58. Y Tu Mama Tambien (Mexico, ’01) – Alfonso Cuaron
59. The Devil’s Backbone (Mexico, ’01) – Guillermo Del Toro
60. Eastern Promises (UK, ’07) – David Cronenberg

61. Little Miss Sunshine (US, ’06) – Jonathan Dayton
62. Dancer in the Dark (Denmark, ’00) – Lars von Triar
63. The Motorcycle Diaries (Argentina, ’02) – Walter Salles Jr.
64. Ashes of Time Redux (Hong Kong, ’08) – Wong Kar-Wai
65. Hunger (UK, ’08) – Steve McQueen
66. Sympathy for Lady Vengeance (S. Korea, ’05) – Park Chan-Wook
67. Munich (US, ’05) – Steven Spielberg
68. A Christmas Tale (France, ’08) – Arnaud Desplechin
69. Death Proof (US, ’07) – Quentin Tarantino
70. Kaalpurush (India, ’08) – Buddhadeb Dasgupta



71. Antares (Austria, ’04) – Gotz Spielmann
72. The Departed (US, ’06) – Martin Scorsese
73. Nowhere in Africa (Germany, ’01) – Caroline Link
74. Mystic River (US, ’03) – Clint Eastwood
75. Children of Men (US, ’06) – Alfonso Cuaron
76. The Darjeeling Limited (US, ’07) – Wes Anderson
77. The Man Who Wasn’t There (US, ’01) – Joel & Ethan Coen
78. Amelie (France, ’01) – Jean-Pierre Jeunet
79. Head-On (Turkey/Germany, ’04) – Fatih Akin
80. Movern Callar (UK-Scotland, ’02) – Lynne Ramsay



81. Flight of the Red Balloon (France, ’07) – Hou Hsiao-Hsien
82. Traffic (US, ’00) – Steven Soderberg
83. The Piano Teacher (Austria, ’01) – Michael Haneke
84. Downfall (Germany, ’04) – Oliver Herschbeigel
85. The Queen (UK, ’06) – Stephen Frears
86. A Serious Man (US, ’09) – Joel & Ethan Coen
87. Hero (China, ’02) –Zhang Yimou
88. The Bow (S. Korea, ’05) – Kim Ki-Duk
89. Johnny Gaddar (India, ’07) – Sriram Raghavan
90. Malena (Italy, ’00) – Guiseppe Tornatore



91. Persepolis (France, ’07) – Marjane Satrapi & Vencent Paronnaud
92. The Savages (US, ’07) – Tamara Jenkins
93. Katyn (Poland, ’07) – Andrzej Wajda
94. I Served the King of England (Czech Repub, ’07) – Jiri Menzel
95. L’Enfant (France/Belgium, ’05) – Jean-Pierre & Luc Dardenne
96. There Will be Blood (US, ’08) – Paul Thomas Anderson
97. Police, Adjective (Romania, ’09) – Corneliu Porumboiu
98. Lust, Caution (Hong Kong, ’07) – Ang Lee
99. Raincoat (India, ’04) – Rituparno Ghosh
100. The Wrestler (US, ’08) – Darren Aronofsky

Disclaimer: If a movie you feel should have been there in the Top 100 isn't there, it means either I haven't watched it (e.g. Russian Ark, Three Times, Tropical Malady, etc.) or it failed to make my Top 100 (e.g. Kings & Queen, Gosford Park, 3-Iron, etc.).