
Tickets
When
Sat 13 Sep 2025
See below for additional related events
The Handmaiden is set in 1930s Korea during the colonial era. The story follows a noblewoman living under tight protection in a grand countryside estate and a young woman, Sook-hee, hired as her handmaiden. However, Sook-hee is secretly a pickpocket recruited by a swindler to help seduce the heiress and steal her vast fortune. As the two women spend time together, genuine feelings develop between them, complicating the original deceitful plan.
Amid layers of betrayal, manipulation, and shifting alliances, they ultimately join forces to outwit those who try to control and oppress them. This spellbinding thriller weaves themes of passion, trust, and liberation into a gripping narrative full of unexpected twists and emotional depth.
Elegantly depraved and immaculately degenerate, Park Chan Wook’s The Handmaiden is an astonishment. The filmmaking is masterful, very near to Hitchcock in its sly, controlled teasing of the audience.
Explore more events in the KOFIM (Korean Film Festival in Melbourne) 2025 program
There are no upcoming related events at this time.
ACMI – the home of festivals
Meet the festivals and film clubs on Melbourne’s cultural calendar that call ACMI home.

Not an ACMI Member yet?
Experience ACMI in the very best way. Get a range of discounts and invitations to exclusive previews.

ACMI Shop
Melbourne's favourite shop dedicated to all things moving image. Every purchase supports your museum of screen culture.