The Housemaid (1960)
Mr. Kim (Jin Kyu Kim) works at a factory, giving lessons to the workers. Unbeknownst to him, one of the young women, Kyung-hee Cho (Aeng-ran Eom) has a crush on him, despite the fact he is married and has two children. But she is scared to say anything so her bolder friend, Seon-young Kwak (Seon-ae Ko) writes a note and slips it into the piano. But his reaction is not what they expected. He tells the supervisor and Miss Kwak is suspended for three days. Never mentioning her own complicity, Kyung-chee asks to take private lessons from Mr. Kim in his home, just after he announces he is taking students. Mr. Kim and his pregnant wife have recently moved into a home that is still a work in progress. Mrs. Kim (Jeung-nyeo Ju) is pregnant and works tirelessly at her sewing machine to help provide for her family. Mr. Kim decides they need help and asks Miss Cho if she knows of anyone. She refers another worker, Myung-sook (Eun-shim Lee).
This is when things begin to spiral. Kyung-hee, having made great strides in her lessons, finds the nerve to tell Mr. Kim of her feelings and he throws her out, but tells her to come back for the lessons, because they need the money. Kwak overhears what has happened and blackmails Mr. Kim, threatening to go to the police and accuse him of raping Miss Cho if he doesn't sleep with her. The situation goes from bad to worse when Kwak finds out she is pregnant.
There is some very interesting social commentary going on in this film, including the factory workers
who attend the lessons in order to appear cultured. Miss Kwak might be slow but she's smart enough to seize an opportunity when she sees it, and she becomes a holy terror to the household. Mr. Kim has two children. The older, a girl who uses crutches to get around, and her younger brother. The boy is an unmitigated brat and taunts his sister cruelly at every turn. Mrs. Kim works hard but she is frail. Her husband is devoted to her, and he is trying to spare her by giving in to the blackmail of Miss Kwak.
Inevitably, something's got to give as Miss Kwak becomes bolder and bolder in her demands, terrorizing the couple. Mrs. Kim even blames herself because she wished for a new house, else none of this would have happened. The framework of the film is interesting too, beginning with a couple who read about a case in the newspaper about an employer who has an affair with his maid. As if that would happen.
Watching The Housemaid is like watching an accident as it happens right before your very eyes, one you can't look away from. I find myself still thinking about it, several days later. I'll give this film 4.5 Stars
Rec 3: Genesis
You are cordially invited to the wedding of Clara (Leticia Dolera) and Koldo (Diego Martin). Friends and family have gathered to wish the happy couple well. But unbeknownst to them, something strange has already begun when the groom's uncle is bitten at work by a seemingly dead dog that came back to life unexpectedly... and here we go again!
The third entry in this series differs slightly from the found footage format of its predecessors, but it does start prior to the start of the first two, and during them. If you'll recall from the first film, a couple clain that their dog is at the vet. Apparently the vet has come down with the same mysterious illness as the rest of the wedding party. As the wedding guests begin to turn into zombies, the bride and groom, who find themselves separated, must find their way back to one another.
This film doesn't take itself quite so seriously as the others, but even so, it's a fun watch, as we wonder
if the bride and groom will ever find their way back to one another. There are some interesting secondary characters here, a mixture of drama and humor.
I thought the film was interesting and entertaining. I give it 4 Stars/
