The Handmaid's Tale
A condemned woman forced into reproductive servitude risks forbidden intimacy and rebellion inside a polluted authoritarian future.
Ember's analysis
- Pacing
- Measured
- Intensity
- Strong
- Complexity
- Layered
- Violence
- Moderate
- oppressive
- paranoid
- foreboding
- political cinema night
- literary adaptation marathon
What critics said
Critics broadly found the film visually striking and well intentioned but unfocused, inept, and less effective than its ambitious themes.
What sets it apart
May contain story progression spoilers
Kate is assigned as a handmaid whose mandated function is bearing children for influential men.
Kate is condemned as a criminal after trying to escape and is forced into handmaid training.
Pollution has rendered most women infertile, enabling the regime’s reproductive hierarchy.
Handmaids wear red while privileged women are associated with blue, making hierarchy visible.
Films like The Handmaid's Tale, and why
Children of Men
shared dystopian theocracy, reproductive oppression, and resistance narrative
V for Vendetta
shared feminist dystopia, authoritarian social control, and paranoia
Never Let Me Go
shared adaptation of speculative fiction centered on institutionalized sexism and bodily autonomy
Equals
shared speculative authoritarianism, forced reproduction, and escape-driven tension
Movie Details
- Director
- Volker Schlöndorff
- Release Date
- 1990-02-15
- Runtime
- 108 min
- Rating
- 6.1 / 10 (295)
Cast
- Natasha Richardson
- Faye Dunaway
- Aidan Quinn
- Elizabeth McGovern
- Victoria Tennant
- Robert Duvall
- Blanche Baker
- Traci Lind
- Zoey Wilson
- Kathryn Doby
Where to watch in United States
- Rent
- Apple TV Store
- Buy
- Amazon Video, Apple TV Store, Google Play Movies, YouTube
Streaming options come from TMDB and change over time.
Common questions
- What is The Handmaid's Tale about?
- A condemned woman forced into reproductive servitude risks forbidden intimacy and rebellion inside a polluted authoritarian future.
- What is The Handmaid's Tale like to watch?
- Ember's analysis rates the pacing of The Handmaid's Tale as measured, its intensity as strong and its storytelling as layered.
- Is The Handmaid's Tale violent?
- Somewhat. Ember rates the violence in The Handmaid's Tale as moderate.
- What did critics think of The Handmaid's Tale?
- Critics broadly found the film visually striking and well intentioned but unfocused, inept, and less effective than its ambitious themes.
- Which films are like The Handmaid's Tale?
- Films with a similar feel include Children of Men, V for Vendetta, Never Let Me Go, and Equals.
- How long is The Handmaid's Tale?
- The Handmaid's Tale runs 108 minutes.
- Where can I watch The Handmaid's Tale?
- In United States, The Handmaid's Tale is available to rent or buy from Apple TV Store, Amazon Video, Google Play Movies, YouTube.
