I finally watched The Handmaiden and it was really amazing
Yeah, I watched it recently and it was really good. Both MCs were amazing! Even more surprising is that the maid was played by a rookie actress-it was her first movie, I think.
If you haven't seen it, I quite recommend also checking out the BBC adaptation of the same novel, "Fingersmith." Like most BBC shows it's easy to find on youtube.
Fingersmith is more reserved but also I think more intelligent with its use of sex, and there's more time spent on the twist and how it plays out compared to the movie.
I thought the Handmaiden cast was mostly more charismatic (with the exception of the uncle, who is Charles Dance in the BBC version!), and it smartly keeps the story focused just on the two female leads, whereas the BBC version (and I think the novel) gets a little distracted by a side character and it hurts its pacing.
On balance I like Handmaiden better, but there are aspects of Fingersmith that I liked a lot too. And it's different enough it's kind of interesting just to watch both to enjoy the differences.