SYNOPSIS:
Award-winning
actress Jeon Do Yeon stars as poor divorcee Eun Yi who gladly
signs on to work as a nanny and housemaid for a wealthy, upper-crust
family. In her naive eyes, the rich and handsome Hoon, his
pregnant wife Hae Ra and adorable daughter make the picture-perfect
family. But that myth is soon shattered when the domineering
Hoon finds his way to her bed. Their torrid affair upsets
the balance of the household, unleashing a cruel power struggle
as Hae Ra, her mother and the head housekeeper all answer
with their own calculated measures.
MOVIE
REVIEW:
There’s this thing about the relationship between a male employer and female employee which makes for great sexual tension. This first came to this reviewer’s attention when he came across Steven Shainberg’s 2002 movie Secretary. It tells the story of a young woman who gets a job as a secretary to a demanding lawyer, and before long, the employer employee relationship turns into a sadomasochistic one. This reviewer was, ahem, blown away by the power play between the two genders. There seemed to be no film of this sort until this Korean production came along, and wow, for the lack of a better word, what a mind blowing experience this is, considering it is set in an Asian background.
A remake of a 1960 film of the same name, this version sees a young girl who becomes involved in a torrid love triangle while working as a housemaid for an upper class family. Things get tricky when you realise that our protagonist is a mere working class divorcee, her employer’s wife is heavily pregnant and that somewhere in the mix is a mother in law who will stop at nothing to preserve the picture perfect image of the family.
Tension rides high in this film boasting of classy production values. You’ll be impressed by the elegant cinematography, the refined art direction and the chic set decoration. What makes the 102 minute film particularly exciting to watch is the awareness of the disturbing plot developments underneath that sophisticated veneer of things. There are some sexual scenes which have been edited to allow this M18 rated DVD to be sold in local stores. If you had to own this copy, you would have to imagine those scenes happening inside your mind.
The cast is in top form here. Jeon Do Youn, who plays the titular housemaid, displays vulnerability which gradually becomes grit and resolution with such brilliance that you have to take your hats off the Cannes winning actress. Lee Jung Jae is the man of the house, and he shows his stature well with his sharp good looks. You will also sit up and watch Seo Woo and Park Ji Young’s arresting performances as the wife and mother in law respectively. This is a well directed film, and kudos goes to the sure handed approach taken by director Im Sang Soo.
There may be some elements of melodrama in this film which competed for the Palme d’Or at last year’s Cannes Film Festival, but this will not prevent you from appreciating this intense film filled with human emotions so rich, you’d continue to feel disturbed after the end credits roll.
SPECIAL FEATURES :
NIL.
AUDIO/VISUAL:
There is nothing to complain about the movie's visual transfer. You can watch it in its original Korean soundtrack.
MOVIE RATING:
 
DVD
RATING :
Review
by John Li
Posted on 6 February 2011
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