The Maid (2009)

Thanks for the memories!

hyped garbage

At first rather annoying in its heavy emphasis on reenactments, this movie ultimately proves fascinating, simply because the complicated, highly dramatic tale it tells still almost defies belief.

The thing I enjoyed most about the film is the fact that it doesn't shy away from being a super-sized-cliche;

This film from Chile portrays the lonely life of a maid and several of the complex interpersonal relationships in her life. We get an intimate look into how she relates to her employers and their kids as well as new maids coming in to help her. Her time as a maid has made her part of the family and she's very possessive of that. A wonderful performance by the lead actress which won her a Special Jury Prize for Acting - World Cinema Dramatic at Sundance. The film also won the Grand Jury Prize for World Dramatic as well as being nominated for a Golden Globe for Best Foreign Language Film. What looks like a downer of a movie is actually a feel-good film that is definitely well worth the time!7.2 / 10 stars--Zoooma, a Kat Pirate Screener

It's just so hard to find good help these days. Just ask the Valdes family, whose live-in maid of twenty-three years is quickly becoming a veritable case-study in passive-aggressive behavior.Forty years old, with no boyfriend, husband or children of her own, Raquel (the award-winning Catalina Saavedra) clings to her life with the Valdes with all the tenacity of a drowning sailor holding onto a rope. Whenever the family tries to hire someone to help her with her work, Raquel goes after the interloper with an understated viciousness bordering on psychosis. This is her territory, and she isn't about to yield a single inch of it if she can at all help it.Sebastian Silva's Chilean feature "The Maid" could easily have devolved into a class-war screed, with Raquel as the representation of the downtrodden working classes and the Valdes family the embodiment of the unfeeling social elite exploiting those workers. Instead, we get a much more nuanced and subtle look at the gulf that separates the haves from the have-nots in society. For Raquel is hardly an inherently noble figure, what with her petulance, her petty jealousies and her callousness towards those she feels are a threat to her. Similarly, the Valdes's appear to be genuinely nice people (especially the mother, well played by Claudia Celedon) who go the extra mile to make Raquel's life a comfortable one and try to make her feel like a member of their family. The problem is that Raquel has become too dependent on this extended family for her own happiness (we only ever see her talking on the phone to her actual mother). Indeed, it takes another maid (Mariana Loyola) - a free-spirited young Peruvian who takes her job seriously but doesn't allow it to define who she is - to finally break through Raquel's emotional armor, which is the first step in Raquel's beginning to loosen up and concentrate on cultivating her own identity and happiness for a change. We sense in the end that this journey to self-awareness is going to be a long and arduous one for Raquel, but the movie leaves us sensing she is more likely than not going to complete that journey.Silva has directed the film in a totally naturalistic style, making us feel as if we are eavesdropping on the day-to-day life of this household. There's even a bit of dark humor in its depiction of the "maid wars" to go along with all the emotional sturm-und-drang and domestic conflict.Though there isn't a weak acting job among the lot of them, it is Saavedra's tour-de-force performance as Raquel that truly stands out. Shy and self-effacing one moment, she is sly and aggressive the next, and Saavedra never lets us see the mechanics of the transitions. It is a seamless piece of work that merited the many accolades it received in festivals around the world.

La Nana (2009), shown in the U.S. as "The Maid," was written and directed by Sebastián Silva. This film recounts the life, and plight, of a maid in a well-to-do Chilean family. Catalina Saavedra portrays Raquel, who has worked for the same family for 23 years. She lives in their home, and knows their habits, secrets, and idiosyncrasies. The problem is that Raquel has no life outside of the family, and nothing much to show for these years of devoted service. It's true that everyone considers her "one of the family," but she really isn't. When her behavior becomes somewhat erratic, the family has to cope with the problem.To their credit, they don't consider firing Raquel, but their solution is to hire another maid. Raquel perceives this as a threat to her position and identity. Her efforts to force the new maids to leave are treated as comedy, and they are humorous, but beneath the humor is the sad fact that if Raquel loses her central position within the household, she loses her the only thing of value that she has.Catalina Saavedra is outstanding as Raquel. In fact, it would be hard to imagine another actor in the role. You accept her as La Nana, and you have to remind yourself that this is a work of fiction, not a documentary about domestic service in Chile.The film is worth seeking out, although the ending is not really satisfying. Despite the weak ending, it's a movie made with skill and obvious respect for the protagonist. It was shown in the Dryden Theatre, Rochester, as part of the excellent Rochester Labor Film Series. It may be hard to find in a theater, and will work well on a small screen. See it!

She's going a bit crazy. The house is her turf; and she knows how to take advantage of it. She will lock you out if she can, so pocket a spare key. Raquel! Let me in! An amusing study of human territoriality and the limitations of one's ability to control what is thought as a possessed environment, the film explores irrational behaviors that can be remedied by tenderness and patience. This Chilean film is among the best foreign origin films of the year. Sad, funny, charming and unpredictable. Nice job, Sebastian Silva. Catalina Saaverda is brilliant as the somewhat disturbed maid, Raquel. The film offers us just a glimpse at Chile; which looks like a nice place.