A man's affair with his family's housemaid leads to a dark consequences. Eun-yi is hired as an au pair for Hae-ra (pregnant with twins) and her rich husband Hoon. Eun-yi's primary task is watching the couple's young daughter, Nami. Eun-yi is eager to connect to Nami, who gradually warms to her. Hoon begins to secretly flirt with Eun-yi, enticing her with glasses of wine and his piano playing, and they eventually begin a sexual relationship. Despite the affair, Eun-yi is still warm and friendly to Hoon's oblivious wife, Hae-ra. She even expresses enthusiasm and delight at the progress of Hae-ra's pregnancy.
"The Housemaid" scores on so many levels it's hard to know where to begin.
– Colin Covert,
Minneapolis Star Tribune,
17 Feb 2011
fresh:
Writer-director Im Sang-Soo injects a certain sense of otherworldliness in the proceedings -- the final scene is straight from David Lynchland --- which may not make things mesmerizing, but does deliver a consistently odd angle.
– Tom Long,
Detroit News,
25 Feb 2011
fresh:
The movie kowtows to the old truism that the rich are different - but it does it with a sardonic smile.
– Joe Williams,
St. Louis Post-Dispatch,
4 Mar 2011
fresh:
The graphic sex scenes radiate an uncommon heat, and Im can pull off a hugely effective shock when he wants to.
– Rene Rodriguez,
Miami Herald,
18 Mar 2011
fresh:
The situation continues to fester, the balance of power shifts back and forth among some wonderfully defined characters.