Redwarmin This movie is the proof that the world is becoming a sick and dumb place

UnowPriceless hyped garbage

Acensbart Excellent but underrated film

Dirtylogy It's funny, it's tense, it features two great performances from two actors and the director expertly creates a web of odd tension where you actually don't know what is happening for the majority of the run time.

billcr12 The Maid, or La Nana is a Chilean film that is hard to categorize. Raquel has served an upper class Chilean family for over twenty years, and when she becomes overwhelmed by the demands of the household, they hire another woman to help with the chores. Through a sequence of different pranks, which includes locking the helper out of the house, the assistant quits. It turns out that Raquel is territorial, and possessive of her employers. The next prospect, an older, tougher woman is more difficult to intimidate, but the maid in charge manages to also make life unbearable for her and she gives up and leaves. Raquel believes that she is part of the family because of her many years of living with them and they, in turn, feel obligated to to take care of her. The lead actress, Catalina Saavedra, is a plump, plain looking woman who will alternately make you feel sorry for her at one moment and then want someone to do the right thing and lock up this mentally unstable creature. She is outstanding and had me convinced that she is really nuts. Both funny and sad, The Maid is an excellent movie.

jlau-128-340465 As a child growing up with a parent in the Domestic Service Industry, this movie was very touching and comical at the same time. So much of what happens when the family is not around and the house staff dynamics are well portrayed here. The difference is the cultural nuances that made this film so great. Some of subjects areas caught on film would never really be seen in North America Cinema. The family dynamics portrayed in the film is also very interesting. The movie has some documentary style camera angles but it is very much a look in at one persons life. I recommend this movie.

Red-125 La Nana (2009), shown in the U.S. as "The Maid," was written and directed by Sebastián Silva. This film recounts the life, and plight, of a maid in a well-to-do Chilean family. Catalina Saavedra portrays Raquel, who has worked for the same family for 23 years. She lives in their home, and knows their habits, secrets, and idiosyncrasies. The problem is that Raquel has no life outside of the family, and nothing much to show for these years of devoted service. It's true that everyone considers her "one of the family," but she really isn't. When her behavior becomes somewhat erratic, the family has to cope with the problem.To their credit, they don't consider firing Raquel, but their solution is to hire another maid. Raquel perceives this as a threat to her position and identity. Her efforts to force the new maids to leave are treated as comedy, and they are humorous, but beneath the humor is the sad fact that if Raquel loses her central position within the household, she loses her the only thing of value that she has.Catalina Saavedra is outstanding as Raquel. In fact, it would be hard to imagine another actor in the role. You accept her as La Nana, and you have to remind yourself that this is a work of fiction, not a documentary about domestic service in Chile.The film is worth seeking out, although the ending is not really satisfying. Despite the weak ending, it's a movie made with skill and obvious respect for the protagonist. It was shown in the Dryden Theatre, Rochester, as part of the excellent Rochester Labor Film Series. It may be hard to find in a theater, and will work well on a small screen. See it!

druid333-2 Raquel is a house keeper for an upper class,Chilean family who has worked for them for twenty plus years,and is showing signs of wearing down with age (she's only 41,but looks & acts much older). Her bosses, Pilar & Mundo decide to take on a second house keeper,but Raquel won't hear of it. When they do hire a young woman,and later an older one,Raquel makes it tough for them,resulting in their either quitting or being outright fired. When they try a third time with a young woman named Sonia,who has a kind heart that somehow creeps into Raquel's tough exterior,she finds out things about herself that she didn't know before. Sebastian Silva (La Vida Me Mata)directs this drama,with some nice black comedy touches,from his own original screenplay,a nicely layered tale of a middle aged woman who is just becoming to come out of her shell. Catalina Saavedia (star of Silva's La Vida Me Mata)is Raquel,a woman who is content with things remaining the same. Claudia Celedron is Pilar,and Alejandra Goic is Mundo,Raquel's bosses,who are depicted as kind hearted,but still sort of bourgeois buffoons. Anita Reeves is Sonia,the domestic that is probably the first to treat Raquel as a social equal. Look out for Andrea Garcia Huidobro as Pilar & Mundo's eldest daughter,Camila that nearly steals the show. The original running time of this fine film is 115 minutes,but sadly the American prints are trimmed by twenty minutes (hopefully,the film's eventual DVD release will contain the original 115 minute cut). Spoken in Spanish with English subtitles. Not rated by the MPAA,this film contains rude language,nudity & adult content.