Subjective Freedom: Expressions of Lesbianism from Multiple Perspectives in the Handmaiden—Thematic Expressions of Lesbianism

Abstract

: In the Korean film The Handmaiden , director Park Chan-wook does not adopt conventional narrative enmities or present traditional ethics. Instead, he uses lip close-ups to amplify the lust contained within the bodies of the protagonists. This is gradually brought to the foreground, where subjective freedom is expressed through various kinds of tension between the film’s characters. The present study analyses the film’s thematic expression and narrative characteristics of lesbianism.