Eun-yi a young divorcee leaves her low-paying job in a Noodle shop and the small scruffy apartment in which she shares a single bed with her best friend, to become the Maid to this stinking rich family who live in a stunning mansion outside the city. They whole place and the family reek of money, which we discover is how they deal with all of life’s problems.
Eun-yi is the protégé of Mrs. Cho an older servant who runs the whole household, and together they are at the beck and call of the entire family, including their scarily articulate young daughter, 24/7. Hae-ra, the wife/mother is heavily pregnant with twins and as she is unable to satisfy the sexual demands of Hoon her austere businessman husband, he seeks out solace and sex with Eun-yi. It s hardly rape as she consents, but it is very much a case of a powerful master taking advantage of a servant.
Mrs. Cho who never misses a trick, guesses that Eun-yi is pregnant and reports back to the wife who in turn confides to her pushy ambitious mother who stages an ‘accident’ which fails to harm Eun-yi her intended victim.
The wife and her mother then offer to pay for both Eun-yi’s silence and to have an abortion but she refuses on both accounts. Once Hoon discovers about the baby, he insists that his family allow the birth to go ahead, which given the conniving nature of Hae-ra and her mother seals Eun-yi’s fate.
Visually stunning this highly stylized piece shot in this ultra-modern mono-chrome imposing house with its opulent detail, plus some striking impeccable clothes, was the perfect setting for this tale of sex, power and money. It is evidently a remake of a 1960’s movie that is regarded as a masterpiece in Korean cinema. Never having seen the original I would risk saying that this astonishing movie cannot be far off that too. Powerful and compelling with its prefect casting with some first-rate performances esp. Jeon Do-yoon with her innocent wide eyes and soulful look has one so rooting for Eun-yi as she is put upon by everyone.
The totally unexpected highly dramatic two final scenes stuns one into silence. Dazed and confused even. But it still does not distract from the fact that this is one astonishing movie which is definitely on my unmissable list.
★★★★★★★★★
