Rent The Maid (2009)
3.6 of 5 from 147 ratings
1h 33min
- General info
- Available formats
- Synopsis:
- After 23 years of dutiful service to the Valdes family, Raquel (Catalina Saavedra) has come to regard herself as not only a maid but a family member. But her employers start to worry about her workload, after Raquel repeatedly clashes with their teenage daughter, and they hire additional help. Frantic that her position is under threat, Raquel utilises ever more childish antics to sabotage each new employee. Brilliantly observed and featuring an award-winning performance from Catalina Saavedra, Sebastian Silva's acclaimed black comedy recalls the satirical genius of Luis Bunuel.
- Actors:
- Catalina Saavedra, Claudia Celedón, Alejandro Goic, Andrea García-Huidobro, Mariana Loyola, Agustín Silva, Darok Orellana, Sebastián La Rivera, Mercedes Villanueva, Anita Reeves, Delfina Guzmán, Luis Dubó, Luis Muñoz, Andreína Olivarí, Gloria Canales, Luis Wigdorsky, Juan Pablo Larenas
- Directors:
- Sebastián Silva
- Writers:
- Sebastián Silva
- Others:
- Sebastián Silva
- Aka:
- La Nana
- Studio:
- Artificial Eye Film Company Ltd.
- Genres:
- Drama
- Collections:
- New waves of Latin American Cinema
- Countries:
- Chile
- Awards:
2009 Sundance Film Festival World Cinema Grand Jury Prize Dramatic
2009 Sundance Film Festival World Cinema Special Jury Prize for Acting
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Reviews (2) of The Maid
Remarkable acting. - The Maid review by DF
An interesting low-budget movie from Chile taking a deep look into the life of a housemaid in a modern bourgeois family set up. Catalina Saavedra plays the maid so convincingly that I felt slightly distraught at first watching the misery of her daily routine. But the maid, Raquel, seems to get some satisfaction from the relationship she has with the family, albeit rather vicariously. They arrange a birthday party for her in a patronising way, but, privately, Raquel's health, both physical and mental, is suffering. After additional domestic help is brought in to assist Raquel, she starts to act 'strange' and here the movie builds a 'Hitchcock' tension as to what she is going to end up doing next. Domestic servants are very much a feature in Spanish tradition drama, for example the works of Lorca and Bunuel and I can see Raquel as part of this genre which looks at the position of 'servants' who are significant, within a family but not quite part of it (reflecting class divisions in society). The movie gets off to a slowish start, but Saavedra's remarkable acting makes this a good movie.
3 out of 3 members found this review helpful.
Gripping social and domestic low key drama - The Maid review by AH
This is the third film I have seen about domestic servants in central and south America! Another is Roma. I have forgotten the name of the third. Powerful performance from Catalina Saavedra as the maid, but all the cast are strong. The themes include social and economic inequality, obsessive attitudes to work, (temporary) mental illness, the importance of achieving a balance in life, and the healing powers of humour, friendship and kindness. That list makes the film seem excessively serious and worthy but it's all in the context of an attractive setting within a privileged but hard-working and well-meaning middle-class family. The plot held my attention because, as the previous review says, one never knows what will happen next, and whether the end will be happy or tragic.
0 out of 0 members found this review helpful.