The Housemaid (2010) (DVD) (US Version) DVD Region 1

Jeon Do Yeon takes the titular role as Eun Yi, a down on her luck young divorcee, who accepts a job as housemaid and child minder for a rich upper class family. The poor girl is immediately enchanted by their luxurious lives, charmed by the handsome and suave Hoon (Lee Jung Jae, Typhoon), his pregnant wife Hae Ra (Seo Woo, Paju), and their surprisingly well mannered young daughter (Ahn Seo Hyun). Unfortunately, she soon discovers the rot beneath the surface, as Hoon seduces her, and a taught battle for control of the household begins. Things get even more vicious when Hae Ra's cold and calculating mother (Park Ji Young) joins the fray, pushing her daughter to pull out all the stops in removing her rival for Hoon's affections.

Although they share the same basic premise and might seem to suggest similar themes, Im Sang Soo's take on The Housemaid shows a marked contrast with that of Kim Ki Young, and like the 1960 original his film is very much a product of its time. As such, it takes place within a very different society, shifting its focus from the emerging middle class, to the newly rich pseudo aristocracy. This changes the film down to its very core, with its protagonist no longer being a cruel and manipulative femme fatale, but an unfortunate, somewhat ignorant young girl who suffers greatly at the hands of her employers, and whose later attempts at taking them on have tragic rather than cathartic results. Eun Yi is a complex and morally ambiguous figure, who may well divide audience sympathies, though whether her actions are seen as being due to naivety or malevolence, she certainly makes for a compelling protagonist. Jeon Do Yeon is excellent in the role, keeping her housemaid believable, and never overdoing either the wide eyed innocence or the seductive destructiveness.

With many of her acts being distinctly amoral, film does have a cold feel to it, not least since she is the only character that the audience is really invited to identify with. Indeed, the upper class family are collectively monstrous, both in their treatment of her and in their near obsessive vanity, greed and psychotic selfishness. Although Hae Ra comes closest to showing a few glimmers of humanity as the wronged wife, even she proves more than capable of horrendous deeds to further her own position. As such, whilst Eun Yi's scheming is understandable, the film does make for uncomfortable viewing at times, quite deliberately so. The plot itself does have quite a few new twists, and though it is quite clearly hurting towards an unpleasant ending from the very start, it manages to drum up a fair amount of suspense, mainly as to the question of just how bad things will get.

One of the film's main assets is its gorgeous set design, with the family home being a truly magnificent and ornate affair, with every room decked out in opulence and luxury. The film's production values are impeccable, giving it a decadent, though vaguely sinister feel that fits very well with its themes. Dark, rich colours dominate almost every frame, and this also helps to heighten the tension and to accentuate the less pleasant aspects of its characters' psychology. Im's direction is a mixture of the stately and the lurid, managing to both keep its distance from the amoral goings on, whilst at the same time employing enough prowling camera shots to give the film a distinctly voyeuristic feel. The film is well paced, with plenty going on, including a good few shock scenes, and some very graphic and sweaty sex, marking it as a mature and adult production. Things only really get out of control right at the end, with a sudden and rather random ending, which though fitting enough in a nasty sort of way does seem to come out of nowhere rather, being at odds with the film's earlier patient character development.

Still, in its way this only serves to make The Housemaid even more memorable, and one of the most interesting and challenging Korean films of the year. Beautifully crafted and directed, though a very different beast to the original, it more than holds its own, boosted by a brave central turn from Jeon Do Yeon and assured direction from Im Sang Soo.

by James Mudge - BeyondHollywood.com