South Korean lesbian thriller debuts at Cannes, is Palme D'Or contender

Record ID: 103631

  • Title: South Korean lesbian thriller debuts at Cannes, is Palme D'Or contender
  • Date: 14th May 2016
  • Summary: CANNES, FRANCE (MAY 14, 2016) (REUTERS) (SOUNDBITE) (Korean) ACTOR HA JUNG-WOO SAYING: "During the shooting of the film, I really wanted to clearly describe and convey what's the character's role and how he was feeling. So we discussed things over very carefully with director in the preproduction phase. The film takes place in the 1930s, a lot of my lines were in Japanese and also the lines in Korean had to be spoken in the Korean that was used at that time."
  • Embargoed: 29th May 2016 15:23
  • Keywords: Agassi the Handmaiden Mademoiselle Cannes Palme d'Or
  • Location: CANNES, FRANCE / VARIOUS UNKNOWN FILMING LOCATIONS
  • City: CANNES, FRANCE / VARIOUS UNKNOWN FILMING LOCATIONS
  • Country: France
  • Topics: Film
  • Reuters ID: LVA0044HS51SD
  • Aspect Ratio: 16:9
  • Story Text: Cult South Korean director Park Chan-wook's latest offering Agassi (the Handmaiden) is set to make its debut in Cannes later on Saturday (May 14).
    Set in Korea during Japanese colonial rule, the Handmaiden revolves around a complex plot to defraud a rich heiress of her fortune, but things become complicated when the heiress and the handmaiden sent to defraud her fall in love.
    With sexual fetish, torture and the occasional glimmer of humour, the film bears all the hallmarks of a Park film, albeit somewhat diluted with the style of a traditional period drama.
    The film is shot in three parts; a device Park said he used to allow viewers to understand the intrigue from each character's perspective.
    "Even in the same situation, there could be various points of view. So, whose point of view it is, in other words, the point of view shot is especially important in this movie. So I used handheld camera for those point-of-view shots," said Park.
    The film has dialogue in both Korean and Japanese throughout, something lead actor Ha Jung-woo found a challenge.
    "During the shooting of the film, I really wanted to clearly describe and convey what's the character's role and how he was feeling. So we discussed things over very carefully with director in the preproduction phase. The film takes place in the 1930s, a lot of my lines were in Japanese and also the lines in Korean had to be spoken in the Korean that was used at that time," he said.
    With Agassi, Park finds himself in contention for the Palme d'Or, for the third time, though the Korean director has yet to scoop the coveted prize.
    The film is set to premiere in Cannes later on Saturday.
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