Sookhee is the new maid servant of the Japanese noblewoman Hideko. The lady travels to her imposing and isolated estate that is also inhabited by Hideko’s heartless uncle Kouzuki, who spends his days in the majestic library. One day, Count Fujiwara appears and wants to court Hideko.
Park Chanwook sets his feverish and intelligent adaptation of Sarah Waters’ novel Fingersmith in South Korea, during the Japanese occupation in the 1930s. With characters who have something to keep secret: for instance, the (fake) Count Fujiwara is conspiring with Sookhee, who is in reality a professional thief. She has to convince her mistress to marry her conspirator, so that he can claim the family fortune. Thanks to Sookhee’s blossoming love for Hideko, which is portrayed in sultry sex scenes, the plan threatens to derail. The result is an opulently decorated trilogy; an erotic thriller with beautiful Japanese costumes and interiors.
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Film details
- Country of production
- South Korea
- Year
- 2016
- Festival edition
- IFFR 2017
- Length
- 144'
- Medium/Format
- DCP
