The Housemaid
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Metascore
68 out of 100

Generally favorable reviews - based on 21 Critics What's this?

User Score
7.2 out of 10

Generally favorable reviews- based on 9 Ratings

Your Score
0 out of 10
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  • Summary: Eun-yi is hired as a nanny in an lavish mansion by businessman Hoon and his very pregnant wife, Hae-ra. When Eun-yi is seduced by the father of the house, she becomes the unwitting victim in a series of traps laid by the women of the house—Hae-ra, her villainous mother, and their seemingly l loyal but increasingly bitter housekeeper. Intensely erotic and fiendishly entertaining, THE HOUSEMAID builds to an unforgettable climax as Eun-yi must outwit them and escape their schemes to protect her sanity—and her life—from the vicious family. (IFC Films)… Expand

Critic Reviews

Score distribution:
  1. Positive: 15 out of 21
  2. Mixed: 6 out of 21
  3. Negative: 0 out of 21
  1. Christian Science Monitor
    Reviewed by: Peter Rainer
    Jan 29, 2011
    91
    It's a deliciously perverse melodrama.
  2. Movieline
    Reviewed by: Stephanie Zacharek
    Jan 19, 2011
    80
    This is a household in which the rules are very formal, and they're matched by the formality of the filmmaking.
  3. Miami Herald
    Reviewed by: Rene Rodriguez
    Mar 17, 2011
    75
    The graphic sex scenes radiate an uncommon heat, and Im can pull off a hugely effective shock when he wants to.
  4. New York Daily News
    Reviewed by: Elizabeth Weitzman
    Jan 21, 2011
    60
    Korean director Im 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.

See all 21 Critic Reviews

User Reviews

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Score distribution:
  1. Positive: 3 out of 4
  2. Mixed: 1 out of 4
  3. Negative: 0 out of 4
  1. RobinsNest
    9
    This review contains spoilers, click expand to view. PLEASE DO NOT READ THIS IF YOU INTEND TO SEE THE FILM; I HAVE REFERENCED THE ENDING. The Housemaid is a sexy, gripping, can't wait to see what happens film. No gratuitous sex or nudity just a story that may seem common but with a shocking ending and a quirky lead character. As usual with foreign films my not knowing the culture precludes me understanding the sense of how the action and relationships make the characters do or not do something. When they speak, at times there is no translation. Am I missing some banter? Perhaps it is part of a previous or upcoming translation, yet somehow I feel I am missing the nuance. If not for this flaw, I would rate this film a straight A (instead of an A-). Excellent acting, perfectly staged and shot. A minor issue is the relationship of the lead and friend (?) in the opening sequence and again later in the film. A metaphor on the opening suicide? Relation to the end? Strong believable, if a little melodramatic, but stirring. Well worth seeing.… Expand
  2. TitoRapPinas
    8
    if you find the ending histrionic or excessively and annoyingly melodramatic, it means you have been thinking in a hollywood formulaic manner. it's wonderful to appreciate as a whole, a show-don't-tell movie, has a wonderful soundtrack, and it's sexy. but at the back of my head, i ask, is this an anti-abortion, anti-classist propaganda? maybe not.… Expand
  3. lasttimeisaw
    6
    A remake of a classic masterpiece is always been a thankless task, but since half a century has passed since 1960, when Ki-young Kim
  4. khan2705
    5
    Grade: C - Not a very bad movie but i didn't liked it much. Beautiful set pieces, visually stunning, pretentious acting, too much holding back apart from a few good scenes. Overall the ending was quite strong which i liked .... erotic thriller that acts like a indie arthouse flick but fails in both ways.… Expand

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