“The Housemaid” (下女/하녀), released all the way back in 1960, provides a very entertaining story exploring what can happen when you put an absolutely mad/crazy girl in close proximity to a married man she desires to posses for strictly herself. The father of the family is trying to do the best for his family and provide for his pregnant wife and get money for the kids. Meanwhile he hires a housemaid to help take care of the everyday duties, but he later finds out how much of a bad idea that was. I won’t give anything away, just know that she will literally stop at nothing to get him.
The director, Kim Ki-young, is known for his portrayal of sexually predatory femme fatale characters who basically tear apart the life of the man they go after. Here’s a recent critical review of the film (taken from the Wikipedia page):
In 2003, Jean-Michel Frodon, editor-in-chief of Cahiers du cinéma, wrote that the discovery of The Housemaid by the West, over forty years after the film’s debut, was a “marvelous feeling– marvelous not just because one finds in writer-director Kim Ki-young a truly extraordinary image maker, but in his film such an utterly unpredictable work.”
Comparing the director to Luis Buñuel, Frodon wrote Kim is “capable of probing deep into the human mind, its desires and impulses, while paying sarcastic attention to the details…” He called The Housemaid “shocking”, noting that “…the shocking nature of the film is both disturbing and pleasurable…” Frodon pointed out that The Housemaid was only one early major film in the director’s career, and that Kim Ki-young would continue “running wild through obsessions and rebellion” with his films for decades to come.
If you’re looking for a great suspenseful movie that explores the psyche of the insane meeting the normal, look no further. You can even watch it with English subtitles for free (after creating an account) over at:
http://www.theauteurs.com/films/2039
Mental note, interview anyone I ever plan to hire as a housemaid …
Also on a side note, watch this and pass over the new Housemaid … (just my opinion)
Aahahha I watched that movie at the NIFFF (I live in Switzerland). It was one of the movies selected by Bong Joon-ho (The Host, Memories of a Murder) who was the president of the jury.
It is funny how old movie which are intended to be scary, are now quite funny. The best part is the End I think.
wow, thanks for the website! Lots of movie to watch for free, and not region locked, like Hulu (snif)….
Lots of japanese movies as well. I know one loser who is going to be happy.
If you want to watch something other than korea stuff, you can check darwin’s nightmare. Le Cauchemar de Darwin
Damn, sorry to spam, I talked to fast, You’ve got to pay 5 euro to watch them… too bad. There’s some for free though
@tellos
Thanks for the recommendation