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The Handmaid's Tale

The Handmaid's Tale

Drama · Science Fiction · 1990

In a dystopian, polluted right-wing religious tyranny, a young woman is put in sexual slavery on account of her now rare fertility.

Movie details

The Handmaid's Tale

“A haunting tale of sexuality in a country gone wrong.”

1990 Drama · Science Fiction 1h 48m

Critical arithmetic

One number, for now.

TMDB

6.1 / 10

Community rating

In a dystopian, polluted right-wing religious tyranny, a young woman is put in sexual slavery on account of her now rare fertility.

CriticWise case file

What this film says about your taste.

Not a recommendation score. A measure of how closely the film’s taste signals resemble yours.

The archetype split

Who fights over The Handmaid's Tale?

The split comes from the same five-axis model used by the test, not audience ratings or review sentiment.

Taste neighbourhood

Nearby on the taste map.

TMDB supplies the candidates. CriticWise reorders them by craft, strangeness, prestige, emotion, and pace.

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Disgrace

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Names above the title

The people responsible.

Directed by

Volker Schlöndorff

Written by

Harold Pinter

Natasha Richardson

Natasha Richardson

Kate

Faye Dunaway

Faye Dunaway

Serena Joy

Aidan Quinn

Aidan Quinn

Nick

Elizabeth McGovern

Elizabeth McGovern

Moira

Victoria Tennant

Victoria Tennant

Aunt Lydia

Robert Duvall

Robert Duvall

Commander

Blanche Baker

Blanche Baker

Ofglen

Court is in session

Put The Handmaid's Tale on trial.

Two incompatible taste archetypes. One film. Read the arguments, then issue a completely binding cultural ruling.

The defence The Auteur Devotee

“Sincerity is not manipulation.”

The film risks embarrassment to make emotion communal, and that openness is harder than fashionable detachment.

The prosecution The Popcorn Loyalist

“The strings are showing.”

Every cue tells you exactly what to feel and when, leaving sentiment to do the work character should have done.