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Critics Consensus: No consensus yet.
Critic Consensus: No consensus yet.
All Critics (70) | Top Critics (22) | Fresh (49) | Rotten (21)
Im Sang-soo can't improve on Kim Ki-young's 1960 original, a jaIm Sang-soo can't improve on Kim Ki-young's 1960 original, a jarring and operatic cult favorite. Still, he does tweak the themes in intriguing fashion.
The situation continues to fester, the balance of power shifts back and forth among some wonderfully defined characters.
The graphic sex scenes radiate an uncommon heat, and Im can pull off a hugely effective shock when he wants to.
The movie kowtows to the old truism that the rich are different - but it does it with a sardonic smile.
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.
"The Housemaid" glitters coldly, with its marble surfaces and scheming eyes, as it builds to its dramatic, unexpected climax.
Unfortunately, [director Im Sang-soo] completely botches the job, missing the subversive potential in the outrageously melodramatic material, which French critic Jean-Michel Frodon has likened to Luis Buñuel.
While it effectively sticks the knife into upper-class mores, it certainly has a been-there, done-that feel to it that the former does not.
Quick to show its characters' skin but less inclined to explore what lies beneath it.
With the honourable exception of a film-saving Byung-sik, the characters are too unpleasant and two-dimensional to keep it together.
...an echo of the 1960 film perhaps, but it's an echo that has been compressed and processed, run through the stomp box that is director Im Sang-soo's imagination.
Exudes a surreal sense of deranged domestic privilege.
*Sigh*, Koreans... they're just so twisted lol. This may surprise you but "The Housemaid" is superbly made. Wow, the cinematography was absolutely gorgeous; excellent camerashots riddled all over this film. It's so sublime in fact that it leaves room for this movie to be identified as an art-house movie, but sadly, there isn't much to the movie except for eerie and surprising perversion, sickening revenge, and a twisted narrative. It's funny because everything about the movie shouts "true filmmaking". Nevertheless, the narrative simply touches upon the characters' struggles and that's it. This movie isn't here to teach people not to do certain things and it isn't here to thematically stir audiences emotions; this movie is simply here to tell its narrative, which is much of the case for a profuse amount of Korean films, but ever more so with "The Housemaid". Once the credits roll, it seems nothing more than just a shallow but twisted movie that is easily forgotten except for its credible filmmaking craftsmanship. So if its absolutely devoid of any substance aside from the production value, how is "The Housemaid"'s narrative? Is it entertaining? I guess so. It's gonna give you thrills, chills, and tension. It's also gonna give you strange goosebumps and surprises not because it's a great horror flick, but because of the audacious and extremely black raw sexuality that it throws viewers. C'mon now... it's almost like a cheap scare. Throw in some taboo-breaking content and you got yourself a shocking movie. That to me, is cheap. It draws you, but I was certainly squirming in my seat -- not cause I'm a pansy, but how deep "The Housemaid" chooses to let characters get sucked into a pitch black world of lies, deceit, hatred, and sexuality. At the end of the day, "The Housemaid" is a stylish but extremely raw sexual movie. It's a movie about sex. That's about it. You think "Black Swan" was raw? LOL "The Housemaid" is stomping all over it, and its all its got: Mesmerizing cinematography and a taboo-shattering narrative. I ain't saying this is a bad movie but it's certainly not even close to what I would enjoy.
Super Reviewer
The Housemaid is a South Korean thriller about a maid who is seduced by the husband of the family she was recently hired by, and then menaced and manipulated by the women of the house once they find out she's pregnant. It's a pretty good movie, but very sad.
This Korean sexy thriller film looks gorgeous, a combination of Fatal Attraction. Immediately notable is the immensely gorgeous mansion-set for the film, the beautiful costumes and Im's drenching of every shot in a kind of elegant style that really captures well the world of the elite that Eunyi wanders into. Interestingly enough, it's in stark contrast to the bustle of the "real world" that Eunyi lives in before her move and I think that's a really effective technique. Jeon Do-yeon deserves all the acting accolades she has received thus far for her role, and we feel the pain she has to go through in having traumatic experiences forced upon her just because she's in no position to bargain, until the defining moment in the finale where she gains the upper hand but at what a price at scarring the family for life. Actor Lee Jungjae wraps the cocky arrogance and entitlement of his character so naturally. And An Suhhyun, as the observant daughter, is remarkable for a child actor, capturing a surprising distance with her huge eyes.
Sang-soo Im's The Housemaid is a Korean thriller that doesn't do much in the way of thrilling.
The story is a slow burn and there is be a lot of buildup for every major event. The first portion is heavy on the sexual content, while the consequences of these actions are put to the test in the second half. It isn't that the film lacks any entertainment value, but the surprises are few and far in between.
The luxurious settings of the film are a highlight and the camera work is also a plus. On the flip side, the characters are a problem. Over time the antagonists and the protagonists eventually become clear, yet it is difficult to root for any of the characters.
Do-yeon Jeon's performance is noteworthy. She brings both a mature and a childlike nature to her character. Seo-Hyeon Ahn is adorable as Nami and the rest of the supporting cast deliver acceptable performances.
The Housemaid does deliver a surprise for the finale, which is quite good. Unfortunately, it is a long road to get there. This film isn't a waste of a viewing, but it is not something to alter a schedule for.
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