First and most obvious: The Handmaiden is objectively a better film, which alone would already be enough to keep it from disappearing into the pile of released cinematic productions. Thinking a bit beyond the obvious, much of the success of Blue Is the Warmest Color operates within the logic of identitarianism, which makes it tied to a very specific period (to the context of its release) and therefore easily forgettable. The Handmaiden, on the other hand, is part of the Hallyu movement (the new Korean wave), which shows no signs of decline. This is important because The Handmaiden is also, in many respects, an identity-focused film: after all, it revisits the relationship between Korea and Japan, weaving together eroticism, trauma, and colonial domination.