Sara Sachs

I saw this last night on Turner Classic Movie's Noir Alley. This is a well acted, directed, and shot movie. After seeing this, I understand how the 2019 Academy Award South Korean THE PARASITE was inspired by this 1960 movie very. To me, that's enough to recommend THE HOUSEMAID. Every time I thought something in the plot was going to happen, it didn't. This movie evolves from being a mundane family tale to rather quickly going to the dark side with mystery, suspense, and a psychological thriller of obsessive love. The camera work and editing adds to the mood of this South Korean noir. The housemaid as femme fatale is an interesting touch. I'm going to disagree with others who don't like the ending. My first thought: how did the director just get away with this? Then I realized that it was a tongue in cheek parody of where others in this genre would use it as a cop out. Just see this for yourself.

When the movie ended, I left scratching my head. Then having slept on it, something rare happened. I thought I'd like to see it again and give it another chance. In the very few times I've done that over the years, I've ended up liking the movie. Maybe this hitting a little too close to home in today's US politics and society put me out of my comfort zone. I look forward to revisiting The Favourite soon.