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The Handmaiden poster

Movies that feel likeThe Handmaiden (2016)

1930s Korea, in the period of Japanese occupation, a new girl, Sook-hee, is hired as a handmaiden to a Japanese heiress, Hideko, who lives a secluded life on a large countryside estate with her domineering Uncle Kouzuki. But the maid has a secret. She is a pickpocket recruited by a swindler posing as a Japanese Count to help him seduce the Lady to steal her fortune.

If you loved The Handmaiden, the closest films we have are Match Point (2005), I'm a Cyborg, But That's OK (2006) and Carol (2015). All three share The Handmaiden's contemplative and romantic feel, which is what we rank on before quality.

Seen the big three already? The under-the-radar pick below is I Don't Want to Go Back Alone (2011).

🍅 96% Rotten Tomatoes★ 8.1 IMDb ↗TMDB ↗dir. Park Chan-wooktensecontemplativeromantictenderplayful
6 of 12 streaming nowHBO Max · Amazon Prime Video · Paramount Plus Premium

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If The Handmaiden hit the spot, these will too

Match Point poster
Match Point
2005 · dir. Woody Allen
🍅 77%★ 7.6drama · romance · thrillerPrime VideoParamount+

Both are built on the same subject: lust

The difference: Easier on the play than The Handmaiden

Chris, a former tennis pro, takes a job as an instructor and befriends his wealthy young student, Tom. After being introduced to his family, Chris is soon engaged to Tom's sister, Chloe. Despite the professional and financial advantages that this relationship affords him, Chris becomes obsessed with Tom's fiancee, American actress Nola.

I'm a Cyborg, But That's OK poster
I'm a Cyborg, But That's OK
2006 · dir. Park Chan-wook
🍅 92%★ 6.9drama · comedy · romance

Park Chan-wook working the same nerve twice

The difference: Takes it somewhere less tense than The Handmaiden does

Young-goon, mentally deranged and frequently electro-charging herself with a transistor radio, has been admitted into a mental institution. Firmly believing herself to be a cyborg, she refuses to consume like a human being. Il-soon is another patient, who catches the eye of Young-goon and soon becomes a close friend. Il-soon is now confronted with the biggest task: to cure Young-goon's mental problem and have her eat real food.

Carol poster
Carol
2015 · dir. Todd Haynes
🍅 94%★ 7.3romance · dramaPrime Video

One thread runs through both: lesbian relationship

In 1950s New York, a department-store clerk who dreams of a better life falls for an older, married woman.

Portrait of a Lady on Fire poster
Portrait of a Lady on Fire
2019 · dir. Céline Sciamma
🍅 98%★ 8drama · romanceMax

Common ground: lesbian relationship

On an isolated island in Brittany at the end of the eighteenth century, a female painter is obliged to paint a wedding portrait of a young woman.

I Don't Want to Go Back Alone poster
I Don't Want to Go Back Alone
2011 · dir. Daniel Ribeiro
★ 8.2drama · romance

The same preoccupation in both: lgbt

The arrival of a new student in school changes Leonardo's life. This 15 year-old blind teenager has to deal with the jealousy of his friend Giovana while figuring out the new feelings he's having towards his new friend, Gabriel.

With Every Heartbeat poster
With Every Heartbeat
2011 · dir. Alexandra-Therese Keining
★ 6.8romance · drama

Both land stillness and romance at once

After they meet at their parent's engagement party, Mia and Frida are intrigued by and attracted to one another, despite Mia's own upcoming engagement to Tim. Mia must decide whether to continue her life with Tim or to follow her heart with Frida.

My Fault poster
My Fault
2023 · dir. Domingo González
★ 6.1drama · romance · thrillerPrime Video

Tense and tender in the same breath

Noah must leave her city, boyfriend, and friends to move into William Leister's mansion, the flashy and wealthy husband of her mother Rafaela. As a proud and independent 17 year old, Noah resists living in a mansion surrounded by luxury. However, it is there where she meets Nick, her new stepbrother, and the clash of their strong personalities becomes evident from the very beginning.

Free Fall poster
Free Fall
2013 · dir. Stephan Lacant
★ 7.5drama · romance

Both keep coming back to the same thing: lgbt

A promising career with the police, a baby on the way... Marc's life seems to be right on track. Then he meets fellow policeman Kay and during their regular jogs Marc experiences a never-before-felt sense of ease and effortlessness – and what it means to fall in love with another man.

Weekend poster
Weekend
2011 · dir. Andrew Haigh
🍅 95%★ 7.6drama · romanceRent or buy

Drama built on stillness, twice over

After a drunken house party with his straight mates, Russell heads out to a gay club. Just before closing time he picks up Glen but what's expected to be just a one-night stand becomes something else, something special.

Revolutionary Road poster
Revolutionary Road
2008 · dir. Sam Mendes
🍅 67%★ 7.3drama · romance

The same preoccupation in both: jealousy

The difference: The critics' underdog of the pair

A young couple living in a Connecticut suburb during the mid-1950s struggle to come to terms with their personal problems while trying to raise their two children. Based on a novel by Richard Yates.

The Longest Ride poster
The Longest Ride
2015 · dir. George Tillman Jr.
🍅 31%★ 7drama · romance

Romantic romance, and it commits to that

The lives of a young couple intertwine with a much older man as he reflects back on a lost love while he's trapped in an automobile crash.

The Best of Me poster
The Best of Me
2014 · dir. Michael Hoffman
🍅 12%★ 6.7drama · romance

Both lean on tenderness more than on thriller

A pair of former high school sweethearts reunite after many years when they return to visit their small hometown.

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The best-reviewed films that share The Handmaiden’s defining feeling.