Park Chan-wook's New Film Screened at Cannes

Director Park Chan-wook (center) and the cast of "The Handmaiden" stand before the press at the Cannes Film Festival on Saturday.

Advertisement

Filmmaker Park Chan-wook's latest movie was screened in the official competition section at the Cannes Film Festival on Saturday.

"The Handmaiden" received a polite but apathetic response from the audience, and rather disappointing reviews from critics.  

The film garnered 2.2 out of 4 points, according to Screen International's average of scores compiled from major media outlets around the world.

By way of comparison, German director Maren Ade's "Toni Erdmann", which was also screened on Saturday, averaged 3.8.

Weekly magazine Le Film français gave Park's movie just 1.73 out of 4 points based on reviews published in French media, the lowest score among the six movies that have been screened in the competition section so far.

Director Park Chan-wook (third from left) and the cast of "The Handmaiden" take questions from the press at the Cannes Film Festival on Saturday. /Courtesy of Moho Film

Park's adaptation of British author Sarah Waters' novel "Fingersmith" is set in Korea and Japan in the 1930s. The story revolves around an heiress who falls in love with a petty thief.