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Ainsley (Alexandra Swarens) is visiting her hometown for Christmas, the first time in several years. Although she is happy to see her parents and her sister and her friend Teddy, she doesn't really feel comfortable in her old environment. To make matters worse, a reunion from her high school is coming up, but she hasn't even been invited to it. And finally, there's Sophie (Olivia Buckle), who she went to school with but never really became friends with and who now helps her mother out in the garden and is eager to get to know Ainsley. The two start to get closer - but Ainsley's complexes about her self-image and her past seem to stand impassably between them ...

Just looking at the home page of this website should make it clear that I am a fan of the works of director Alexandra Swarens. I love her latest film Spring dearly (the kiss picture is from that film). I had a few concerns about seeing City of Trees, which has been described by various people as much less ambitious and polished.

But my worries were unnecessary. Although City of Trees is even more minimalistic than Spring, it is worth seeing in every aspect and managed to captivate me with the same unexcited intensity. Not much actually happens in these almost 90 minutes, but what little does happen is characterized by authentic impact, by consistent atmospheres.

City of Trees is a slow and low-budget film. If you are looking for action (or stunning visuals), you are definitely in the wrong place. Whereas - there is action (and stunning parts), but it is a very subtle action that takes place under the surfaces. Many scenes invite you to imagine what thoughts and emotions are going on inside the characters right now. For that, however, you have to be willing to empathize and explore the inner conflicts that are not openly acted out.

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The 1930s, Japanese-occupied Korea. The story begins when the swindler Fujiwara (Ha Jung-woo) pays a visit to the thug family of the pickpocket Sook-hee (Kim Tae-ri). He wants to win her over for a plan he is preparing for several years now. His goal is to get the fortune of the young Hideko (Kim Min-hee). This young lady has been kept by her uncle since her childhood at the stately home of her aunt (who hanged herself), and forced to give readings for her uncle and other wealthy gentlemen from the gigantic collection of erotic books that are the uncle's pride and joy. Fujiwara will offer himself to the uncle as a forger (as he does not like to give away the original books, he has them copied and sells the copies instead). Sook-hee is to become the new maid of the high lady and convince her to run away with Fujiwara. After the wedding he will claim Hideko's money and lock her up in an insane asylum himself, Sook-hee gets a share of the fortune won. At first, everything seems to work out well until Sook-hee becomes attracted to her victim, and it seems to be mutual ...

After the 2005 BBC TV series, The Handmaiden is already the second film adaptation of Sarah Waters' novel Fingersmith. Director Park Chan-wook takes his own approach, however, and so his film is significantly different from the ten-year older series; to the extent that Sarah Waters, who read the script, asked him to write that his film was only " inspired" by her novel.

A still rather marginal but nonetheless important contrast is the historical setting. Originally, the book (and the series) was set in 19th century Victorian England. Moving it to 1930s Korea not only makes the decadence of the uncle and his erotic book collection seem even greater than it already did in the original, but it also highlights social class differences a bit more (everything Korean was considered ugly and dull to many wealthy Koreans back then, everything Japanese glorious and worthy of imitation).

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Susan Trinder (Sally Hawkins) lives in one of London's poorer boroughs, in a house with the best view of the county's gallows. She grew up here with a thrown-together family of thugs, including her foster mother Mrs. Sucksby, who takes care of unwanted babies. One day, a thug friend named "Gentleman" comes along and offers Susan and her family the deal of a lifetime: Susan is to become the new maid to Maud (Elaine Cassidy), a country lady being employed as a secretary (and practically held captive) by her uncle, who will receive twenty thousand pounds (a pound was worth about 125x more then than it is now) when she marries, from her mother's inheritance. Susan is to befriend the lonely Maud and convince her to run away with Gentleman, who comes to visit for a few weeks as an art teacher. Afterwards, Maud will be sent to a madhouse (her mother had already ended up there). But Susan falls in love with Maud and also awakens unexpected feelings in her ...

The novel Fingersmith was written by Sarah Waters, who has written some great books with lesbian protagonists. I can only recommend reading the novel before the movie, although it can be read with profit afterwards as well. Director Aisling Walsh has done a good job of directing the film, although certain aspects of it, especially background information, are naturally missing.

If you think Fingersmith is just a costume drama, you're wrong, even if the first 60 minutes of the film (which was originally a mini-series with 3 episodes of 60 minutes) match this expectation in all respects. The fact that there is much more behind it, from larger thrilling story arcs to fascinating details, is revealed as the film progresses. Of course, Fingersmith still lives on the flair of the 19th century and picks up various stylistic elements (such as the female fainting attacks).

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