Hanyeo

Not a perfect film, but certainly an intriguing and timely one, coming out at a time when films around the world were breaking boundaries and pushing their subject matter to the next level - think PSYCHO and PEEPING TOM, for instance. This distinctly Korean movie takes a look at issues involving class, gender roles, family dynamics and social norms, all set in a middle class household where the arrival of the titular character explodes tensions and invokes horror all round. Well shot and very well acted, this is occasionally dated and melodramatic, a little slow at times, with an ending that doesn't quite work, but otherwise it's well worth a look.

... and this one truly did besides being as intense a psychological study as Joseph Losey's "The Servant". I am generally unscareable and though I appreciate the talent in films like "The Exorcist" which can frighten others, for me it always falls flat as I must have been born repeating the advertising line from "Last House on the Left" stating "Remember...it is only a movie, it is only a movie." So the fact that this was both fascinating as a character study and scary enough to make one bejeeberless was impressive.

I actually jumped in my seat at one point in "The Housemaid" and will never look at packages of rat poison the same or even filled glasses of water or some simple rice in a bowl. This psychological masterpiece can cause heart palpitations and I can't even imagine it could be improved in a remake. I kept thinking that the "housemaid" and her unfathomable facial expressions were reminiscent of the maid to Francisco Rabal in Bunuel's "Viridiana" and it was fun to hear the post film comments saying Ki-Young was sometimes compared to Luis.

All in all, I'm so glad I stayed up and watched it in the middle of the night. Sure I could have watched it at a different time, but there's something right about watching a film like that in total darkness and my only complaint regarded the end, but I won't quibble since I also dig films like "The Woman in the Window".

When it ended, i was shook. I couldn't believe how insane this movie is. Insane in a good way. I couldn't believe this is a 1960 movie. Even by today standards, this is insane and mindblowing. During the first 20-30 minutes, i thought i knew where it goes and the same will everyone think. But make no mistake, you don't have a clue where it goes. It's not just cheap twists that made this unpredictable but organically flowing turns of the story. I mean, this is coherent and it doesn't shock you just for the shake of shock, with dumb twists that come out of nowhere. The person who wrote this knew exactly what he was doing. Because this is not just insane but brilliant too.

I can't rate it higher because i was not that excited during the first 40-50 minutes. This movie takes its time. I repeat, you think it is just an ordinary story, like a drama romance film noir of this era, with lovers thinking the same old schemes etc. No, it's not. This is way too original and creative. Of course way better than the mediocre 2010 version. The 2010 HANYO is not good. But this is.

Icing on the cake: The last minute. I couldn't believe my own eyes, i watched it three times, that indicates how much i loved it.

Suicides, attempted suicides, blackmail, murder, attempted murder, adultery, paranoia -- the goings-on in this bizarre and fascinating melodrama put even MANJI to shame.

No wonder one critic calls director Kim "Douglas Sirk on acid" -- while Western audiences may laugh at some of the overheated melodrama, this potboiler nonetheless is pretty wild for 1960, and manages to be both lurid and unforgettable. (It's also got one of the great death scenes *ever* -- see for yourself!)

Allow me to add to the hype: this film is as delirious as they come. Starting out as a typical realist glance into 1960's South Korea as centered on a upwardly-mobile family, after the plot gets settled, becomes a hysterical and expressionistic tale of corrosive sin and deception. The transformation of one night's flirtation into a grandiose moral eradication is the one of the most stunning turns of atmosphere I've ever seen in a film. Also amazing is how your view of the characters changes dramatically as they are faced with this living hell. While researching about the director, I found out that the actress who played the housemaid, Eun-shim Lee, fulfilled the part so well that she couldn't find work after this movie. Audience members were literally screaming for her death at the original showings! See this film just for her, you won't regret it! I can't say enough great things about the director Kim Ki-young, too bad most of his films aren't available in English!