The Maid2009

The emotional tension in this film is masterfully navigated by writer/director, Sebastian Silva, and pushes this intimate portrait of a Chilean family and their beloved maid onto the razor's edge between thriller and drama. For a story that has a small scope (we barely ever leave the family home), it has a wide reach in pealing back the layers of contradictions inherent in Latin American master/servant relationships. It reminded me of the complexity and depth of the Iranian film A Separation by Asghar Farhadi.

A very compelling character study. The Maid's external world doesn't change much from beginning to end but her internal world has radically altered by the film's end. The film starts out a potentially black comedy and ends on a high uplifting note. Great film!

Catalina Saavedra makes passive-aggressive adorable.

The Maid lets us see the raw pain, deep seeded fears, life lost, after we get to the bottom of Raquel's uneasiness. The children she cares for give her all the intimate life she has, until she finds a friend in Lucy. In addition to giving subtle commentary on socio-economics, politics, class and status symbols, this film is a fully robust and generous character portrayal and story of how one's lot, labor and power are negotiated and compromised over their personal dreams in life.

This film provides a view into a slice of life in an upper-middle class household in Chile. Coming of "age" for a 41 year old maid is lovingly portrayed.

I loved the dark humor - the unpredictability - and even the cruelty.

pure genius.