The Housemaid

The Housemaid (Hanyo) (1960)

Runtime: 111 minutes

Directed by: Kim Ki-Young

Starring: Jin Kyu Kim, Jeung-nyeo Ju, Eun-shim Lee, Aeng-ran Eom

From: Hanguk Munye Yeonghwa

This is a random film likely unknown to most, yet it's worth seeing and it's proof South Korea has had not just a brief history of making challenging intense films. The Letterboxd review is below and I'll return Saturday night.

I picked out this-what is likely an obscure film to most-for a few reasons. In general it's an Asian movie and I haven't watched one of those in a few months. To be specific it is a Korean movie and I haven't seen one of those in many months. It is part of Criterion Collection's Martin Scorsese's World Cinema Project boxset and I have only watched one of six movies from it since I got the set this past summer (Turkey's Dry Summer). I pretty much kill several birds with a shotgun blast by choosing this particular motion picture, one that I understand is regarded by quite a few as one of the best ever to come out of the country.

The plot: an upper middle class family is now in a new house but the wife needs rest due to overwork; thus, the music teacher father asks one of his pupils for help in finding a maid. This was a BIG mistake as that maid turns out to be a very crazy young woman and she doesn't kick over the apple cart that's the happy family of the husband, wife and two young kids (one of whom presumably has polio)... she eats all the apples then lights the car on fire. The family just gets destroyed by that monster of a woman.

I imagine people generally assume it was just in recent times that Korean films were well-made but bold and with some shocking scenes; well, this movie does all that and from 54 years ago when South Korea was a lot different than it is now. There are some jaw-dropping moments, especially considering I wasn't expecting it from a 1960 motion picture. Of course I won't spoil any of it; just note that some mentally cruel and harsh things happen to these characters. It's a melodrama for sure, and it is a proper grandfather to the acclaimed movies from the country that have gotten worldwide attention in the past 15 or so years, what's been called the Korean New Wave.

Most of the film takes place in the two story house the family lives in. You get to see the stars often as they actually factor into the plot. It's quite claustrophobic and unnerving, Grand Guignol entertainment as I saw someone here state. What happens can be rather ludicrous at times and yet because in part the movie's filmed so well in his own style confidently by Kim Ki-Young and the story being strong, it does not veer into being overwrought or comically ridiculous. Instead it's a strong intense film that I was engrossed with, to see what would happen next. The maid (Eun-shim Lee, in her only known credit) is an incredible character and the performance from the actress is astounding.

Additional commendations go to the score, which fits what you see on screen, and the social commentary present where it states how you may not way to aspire to live above your means; the wife stays at home and has to work at a sewing machine to help pay for the house, which leads to the maid's arrival. The ending... I am not sure what to make of it. It's unexpected, and personally I can say you can either ignore it, laugh at how it ends or do both.

I recommend this to everyone, but especially those that enjoy the cinema of the Korean New Wave.