Young pickpocket Sook - hee is enlisted by Fujiwara, a suave con artist claiming to be a count, to work as a handmaiden for wealthy heiress Lady Hideko. Sequestered in a grand mansion by her pervy black - tongued uncle, Hideko is lookin g for a way out and Fujiwara expects Sook - hee to help him charm his way into the role of Hideko’s husband. But the plan is complicated when the haughty Mistress begins to fall for her new lady - in - waiting. Inspired by Welsh writer Sarah Waters’ 2002 novel F ingersmith, The Handmaiden relocates the narrative from Victorian England to 1930s Korea, which is under Japanese colonial rule. This enables production designer Ryu Seong - hie to give full flower to her imagination, creating awe - inspiring sets rich with pe riod detail, blending Japanese and British architecture (and my God – the wallpaper!). Marking Park Chan - wook’s first Korean film after Stoker, The Handmaiden continues the theme of revenge so deliciously and obsessively explored in the director’s Vengeanc e trilogy. But here, the erotic is foregrounded, through immaculately composed images that imbue every object with a seductive energy, so that even a pair of gloves thrums with scintillating power. A foxy concoction of exquisite style and thrilling storyte lling, The Handmaiden will leave you breathless. (Kate Taylor, BFI London Film Festival).