THE HOUSEMAID (2010) – The Review

In many ultra-affluent homes there’s an invisible , but clearly defined, line that separates the residents and the people hired to take care of them. Usually it’s a rigid code of conduct. This has been explored in TV shows like “Upstairs, Downstairs” and films such as THE HAND THAT ROCKS THE CRADLE and DRIVING MISS DAISY.  A source of dramatic conflict occurs when one or both cross that line. THE HOUSEMAID explores this conflict in reserved Asian society. The film shares the it’s title from an influential Korean film from 1960, but the results of this conflict in 2010 are very different from the earlier work.

This film begins on a busy evening at a downtown market. The bustling night is momentarily disrupted when a young woman leaps to her death from one of the buildings. A worker at one of the eateries, Eun-yi (Jeon Do-yeon), and her room mate try and get a better look at the body. The next morning, back at their apartment building, Eun-yi is visited by Miss Cho (Yoon Yeo-jeong), the maid of a rich family. Eun-yi has been hired as an au pair for the growing household. Eun-yi is taken to the opulent home and is introduced to the lady of the house, Hae Ra (Seo Woo). Hae Ra is due to give birth to twins in the next few months. Besides helping with the household chores, Eun-yi’s main responsibility will be looking after the seven year old daughter Nami (Ahn Seo-hyeon). Shortly Eun-yi meets the master of the house, Hoon (Lee Jung-jae), a powerful, successful businessman. Later Eun-yi is dazzled by Hoon’s skills at the piano. That night Hoon is frustrated by the unaccommodating Hae Ra in the bedroom. A few days later Eun-yi accompanies the family to a cottage in the woods. Late one night Hoon enters Eun-yi’s quarters. They share a bottle of wine and the bed. This becomes a regular occurrence upon their return to the main house. Miss Cho stumbles upon one of the trysts. Later, she observes changes to Eun-yi’s body-she must be pregnant. Miss Cho brings this to the attention of Hae-Ra’s domineering mother Mi-hee (Park Ji-young). Mi-hee swears that she will take care of this before the birth of her new grandchildren. What will become of Eun-yi and her baby? And will Hae Ra learn of her husband’s affair?

THE HOUSEMAID unfolds slowly as it presents this mansion’s opulence and the strict codes of conduct for the working women. The introduction of the affair is similar to an early Hollywood studio tearjerker. The performances are all very engaging. Do-yeon makes Eun-yi, a sweet, fragile young woman who is dazzled by all the trappings of wealth. Yeo-jeoung ‘s Miss Cho starts as very stern, hardened women but later becomes sympathetic when she has finally has endured enough in dealing with this family. The family is anchored by Jung-jae’s imperious, manipulative, cold Hoon. Woo’s Hae-Ra’s is a spoiled, uncaring brat, while her mother may be the film’s biggest villain. Ji-young turns her into an evil, Lady Macbeth-like harridan. The movie’s an interesting look at the class system in Korea. But, I should forewarn you that the film’s wildly over-the -top, almost operatic ending may seem out of place after the more realistic proceedings. If you can handle such abrupt changes in tone then you’ll appreciate THE HOUSEMAID.

Overall Rating: 3.5 out of 5 stars