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ANGELIKA FILM CENTER
18 W. Houston Street
New York, NY 10012 (800) 326-3264

MOVIE: THE MAID (showtime to be announced Wed.)
Starring
Catalina Saavedra, Claudia Celedón, Mariana Loyola, Andrea García-Huidobro, Alejandro Goic
Director(s)
Sebastián Silva Distributor(s)
Elephant Eye FilmsMPAA Rating

woman feels she must fight to hold on to her place in the household where she's been a servant for much of her life in this drama from writer and director Sebastian Silva. Raquel (Catalina Saavedra) works as a maid for a well-to-do Chilean family, and has been with the household so long that she's come to think of herself as part of the family. However, Raquel is also aware of the distance between herself and her employers, and though she's fiercely devoted to Mundo Valdes (Alejandro Goic), his wife, Pilar (Claudia Celedón), and their son, Lucas (Agustín Silva), she finds herself increasingly at odds with their rebellious daughter, Camila (Andrea García-Huidobro). Years of hard and unrelenting work have begun to take their toll on Raquel, and Mundo decides she could use some help; he hires a young au pair, Mercedes (Mercedes Villanueva), to assist her, but Raquel refuses to allow anyone to usurp her role in any way, and treats the girl so horribly she soon quits. Unaware of the conflict between Raquel and Mercedes, Mundo hires an older and more experienced women to work with Raquel, Sonia (Anita Reeves), and it's not long before the two domestics are locked in a fierce battle of wills. La Nana (aka The Maid) received its American premiere at the 2009 Sundance Film Festival. - Mark Deming, All Movie GuideSorted by: Highest Rated
| Publications (A-Z) | Critics (A-Z) | Favorite Critics
Washington Post | Jan StuartAdd Critic to Favorites As played by the captivating Mariana Loyola, Lucy is a life force, cut from similar cloth as the perky schoolteacher of Mike Leigh's "Happy-Go-Lucky": unsinkable, unswervable and more than a little irreverent.Read the full review
Slate | Dana StevensAdd Critic to Favorites It's funny--bleakly, blackly so at times, but also tenderly funny with flashes of genuine compassion. The Maid is among the best films I've seen this year.Read the full review
Entertainment Weekly | Lisa SchwarzbaumAdd Critic to Favorites Raquel's devotion to her employer is barbed with hatred, need, and an insecurity she manifests through constant tiny acts of sabotage that would be funny if they weren't also so chilling -- bordering on psychotic.Read the full review
The Hollywood Reporter | Justin LoweAdd Critic to Favorites This is strikingly talented cinema from a notable international filmmaker.Read the full review
Variety | Justin ChangAdd Critic to Favorites Saavedra is riveting as a servant whose unblinking focus on her routine masks a profound loneliness.Read the full review
Los Angeles Times | Kenneth TuranAdd Critic to Favorites The Maid has that particular gift of leaving you off balance in the best possible way, and whenever something like that comes around you owe it to yourself to check it out.Read the full review
The New York Times | Manohla DargisAdd Critic to Favorites It takes Mr. Silva a while to finish his story, but the ending of The Maid is so intelligently handled and so generously and honestly conceived, it proves well worth the wait.Read the full review
The Onion (A.V. Club) | Noel MurrayAdd Critic to Favorites Even at its most upbeat, The Maid is something of a tragedy.Read the full