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'The Maid': Touching and rare
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A scene from The Maid - Image Courtesy of Elephant Eye Films
Director Sebastian Silva brings ‘The Maid’ to the New York city audience. Winner of the 2009 Sundance Film Festival’s Grand Jury Prize in World Cinema for Best Film, ‘The Maid’ is a rare portrayal of what the life of a woman in servitude is in South America.
The story follows Raquel, extraordinarily played by Catalina Saavedra, who has served as the live-in maid for the Valdes family for more than 20 years. On the night of her 41st birthday, Pilar and the family decide to surprise the gloomy maid for a close celebration in the family dining room. But soon thereafter, Raquel returns to the kitchen due to her discomfort which is as strong as everyone’s need to acknowledge the special occasion. The event itself shows the dynamics between the maid and the family as a whole in a society that is used to this fact of life.
‘The Maid’ is not like other films, TV shows and documentaries that try to explain the deprived lives of the maid or the grandiose lifestyle of the families they work for. Instead, the film narrows the story down to the reality that maids are simply family. Silva truly shines creating situations that expose the ambiguity between the maid and the other people in the household. Many of them hilarious, bold and dramatic that carry the emotional connection between the characters in the film. The raw approach and composition of the film adds to the heartwarming story of a maid whose idea to serve her family is the most important thing there is. Without a doubt, ‘The Maid’ is an exceptional and touching tale about a woman who is more or less family.
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