Watch The Housemaid

The Housemaid is a 1960 South Korean film directed by Kim Ki-young. The film follows the story of a middle-class family who hires a housemaid to help them with their daily chores. However, things take a dark turn when the housemaid becomes involved with the husband and starts to wreak havoc on the family. The Housemaid is a haunting and unsettling film that explores themes of desire, jealousy, and class struggle.

The film is set in Seoul during the 1960s, a time when South Korea was still recovering from the devastation of the Korean War. The main character of the film is a middle-class couple, Mr. and Mrs. Kim, who live with their two young children in a small apartment. Mrs. Kim is heavily pregnant with their third child and is struggling to keep up with the household chores. In an effort to alleviate the workload, the couple decides to hire a housemaid, Myung-sook, to help out.

Myung-sook is a young woman from the countryside who is desperate to make a better life for herself. She is eager to please and quickly becomes an indispensable member of the household, taking care of the children and cooking for the family. However, as time goes on, Myung-sook becomes increasingly fixated on Mr. Kim and begins to make advances towards him.

At first, Mr. Kim rebuffs her advances, but as he becomes increasingly dissatisfied with his life, he begins to give in to her charms. The two begin a torrid affair behind Mrs. Kim's back, and things quickly spiral out of control. Myung-sook becomes jealous and possessive, and her behavior becomes increasingly erratic. She starts to lash out at Mrs. Kim, and the family's happy home life is destroyed.

The Housemaid is a masterful piece of cinema, featuring incredible performances by its cast and stunning cinematography. The film has a pervasive sense of dread that slowly builds as the story unfolds, and the tension between the characters is palpable. The film is a powerful commentary on the class struggle in South Korea during the 1960s and is seen as a classic of South Korean cinema.

Despite its age, The Housemaid remains a relevant and powerful film, exploring themes that are still relevant today. The film has been remade several times, including a critically acclaimed version by Korean director Im Sang-soo in 2010. However, the original film remains the definitive version, and its impact on world cinema cannot be overstated.

Overall, The Housemaid is a must-see film for anyone interested in the history of cinema or the culture of South Korea. Its themes of desire, jealousy, and class struggle are universal, and its haunting imagery will stay with you long after the film has ended. The Housemaid is a cinematic masterpiece that deserves to be seen by audiences around the world.

The Housemaid is a 1960 crime movie with a runtime of 1 hour and 30 minutes. It has received mostly positive reviews from critics and viewers, who have given it an IMDb score of 7.2.