The Maid

This Chilean gem is a tough one to describe and evaluate... the main character is so radically unlikeable that you find yourself questioning your reasons for still watching the damn thing. A brief synopsis: Raquel, a middle aged woman who has been working as a maid in the same household for 20 years is threatened by a replacement. Over the years, the viewer sees how Raquel's role as maid in the upperclass Latin household has become so much more than a role. Raquel has fused with this social role and taken it on as her only identity. It is no wonder that when this identity is threatened, Raquel's whole sense of self is overturned. A vast part of the film focuses on Raquel's painfully childish, often sickening, but laughter-inducing ploys to rid herself of her new aides. When the antagonism becomes too much to bear, the film switches its focus to Raquel's transformation, thanks to an aide who is hardly phased by her cruel attempts.

A warning to potential viewers (and yes, you should watch it): The Maid is advertised as a comedy. Much too often this mistake is made by the categories on Netflix. Yes, this film has aspects of comedy, but it is in no way A Comedy. Seeing Raquel in action is one of the most tragic, disturbing film experiences I have had. The directer, Sebastian Silva, approaches Raquel's character with a total deadpan quality, and this renders the film both funnier and more tragic. All I can say is thank god for Lucy.

Some critics have stated that this film goes nowhere. I am pretty sure they would feel the same way about their lives, because this film reflects what it is to be human (though I pray most of us are more stable than Raquel). The Maid's unpredictability allows it to flourish, and maybe it's just the social psychologist within me, but I believe that Silva has created a remarkable study of mental servitude, the extent to which we take our society-given roles, and simple human compassion, without which The Maid would be categorically unwatchable.