The Housemaid by Im Sang-soo

Im Sang-soo’s The Housemaid is a remake of Ki-young Kim’s 1960 film, telling the story of a maid who gets involved with her boss - a composer, provoking the wife’s desire for revenge. The film is enjoyable overall, but could be a disappointment for fans of the original. While the 1960 version is a thriller, considered Ki-young Kim’s most expressionistic film, Im Sang-soo softens the edges, developing a narrative structure that is closer to soap-opera. The intention was probably to go beyond imitating the original, but this approach might just be too safe to make the movie exciting.

Still, the filmmaker manages to stay true to his style, wrapping the story around women who are both victims and aggressors. The power balance shifts between them, the man being merely a decorative element. He caused the whole situation, but is not responsible for the worsening consequences.

With his ample, sensual camera moves, Im Sang-soo illustrates the world of the rich, where any damages can be solved with money. In today’s version of The Housemaid the director goes for a caricature of this social class, clearly expressing their exaggerated pretentions about food and wine, for example. It is the humour of these situation that adds a certain flavour to the film, which otherwise could have been far below the original.

By Mirona Nicola