The Housemaid
A Throwback Thriller
Millie (Sydney Sweeney) desperately needs a job. She takes a chance with a fake resume and answers an ad to be a live-in housemaid for the Winchester family. The interview goes well with the young and beautiful Mrs. Nina Winchester (Amanda Seyfried), who appears more like she wants to be Millie’s friend than her employer. The job entails keeping their McMansion clean and assisting with their young daughter, Cecelia (Indiana Elle).
A surprise call from Nina offering her the job leaves Millie wondering how she passed the reference check. Nonetheless, she is grateful to have a place to live and works hard at cleaning and keeping to herself. She must also navigate the personalities of the very handsome husband/father, Andrew Winchester (Brandon Sklenar), and the aloof Cecelia.
It does not take long before Millie sees erratic behavior from Nina, who flies off the handle easily and blames Millie for anything that goes wrong. As Millie tries to do her job and avoid ruffling Nina’s feathers, she slowly finds an ally in Andrew. He exhibits great patience with Nina and seems to dote on her, but he also defends Millie and helps her thwart Nina’s angry tirades.
As tensions flare, we learn that each character has secrets. When we learn more about Millie, it is easy to see why she cannot simply walk away from this job. She has to make it work and get along with Nina.
Spending time with the other nannies and housemaids allows Millie to hear the gossip about her rich bosses. The rumor mill enjoys speculating theories about Nina, and all the wealthy socialites have a crush on the ever-accepting Andrew.
This film piles on the secrets and does a good job of keeping the audience guessing. It is also participatory as viewers can relish yelling at the screen when the characters make bad choices and plot sinister schemes.
The movie has something to say about how wealth holds power in our world and the way our current society looks at privileged, beautiful people, assuming they have no problems. There are no heavy-handed messages, however, just a few tidbits to get you thinking.
While The Housemaid may not live up to the thriller status of films like Fatal Attraction or Gone Girl, it still delivers as an enthralling plot that keeps you engaged till the final scene.
Rated R