Housemaid Movie Review: A Twisted Tale of Abuse, Manipulation, Revenge & Survival

Part 1: A Dream Job Quickly Turns Into a Nightmare

Housemaid begins with a young woman (played by Sydney Sweeney) from a troubled past looking for a fresh start as a housemaid. She has just been released from prison after serving 15 years for attempted murder, and she has already been fired from her previous job.

Because of her criminal record, she believes that a wealthy family would never consider hiring her as their housemaid.But unexpectedly, she receives a call and is invited to work for a rich family.

At first, everything seems normal. She is hired by the wife, who comes from a wealthy family, and begins working inside their luxurious home. But it doesn’t take long for her to realise that something is seriously wrong with the woman who hired her.

The wife appears extremely unstable and unpredictable. She throws tantrums around the house and even smashes dishes and other kitchenware whenever things don’t go her way.Her husband, on the other hand, appears to be the complete opposite. He is calm, patient, and almost saint-like, constantly putting up with his wife’s behaviour without losing his temper. The couple also have a young daughter named Cece (played by Indiana Elle).

As the housemaid spends more time with the family, the wife’s behaviour becomes increasingly strange. At one point, she asks the housemaid to pick up Cece from ballet class. But later, she suddenly changes her mind and tells her that Sissy is already going to a house party with her friends.

Then things get even more confusing. The wife gives the housemaid her credit card and instructs her to book a luxury suite for a weekend getaway. But once everything is booked, she completely denies ever giving those instructions.

The housemaid is left completely confused, wondering whether she is dealing with someone who is mentally unstable or whether there is something much darker happening inside the house.As she becomes increasingly involved with the family, she also grows closer to the husband. Eventually, their relationship crosses a line, and the two sleep together.And that’s where this seemingly ordinary housemaid job begins turning into something far more dangerous.

Part 2: The Housemaid Was Never the First Victim

The wife (played by Amanda Seyfried) eventually accuses her husband of sleeping with the housemaid. But the husband turns the situation around, calling his wife mentally unstable and accusing her of imagining things. He eventually forces her to leave the house.

The housemaid is thrilled. With the wife gone, she believes she has finally found the life she always wanted. She and her husband grow intimate and enjoy what seems like a perfect relationship in the luxurious house.But then the film delivers its biggest revelation.

We discover that the wife was once a Victim herself. She had been working in corporate before becoming his wife. She was also pregnant when he became close to her and eventually married her.However, her life after marriage slowly turned into a nightmare. The husband was controlling and cruel. In one disturbing incident, after she missed a hair appointment, he locked her inside the attic and ordered her to pluck 100 strands of hair as punishment.

This changes everything we thought we knew about the wife.

Her strange behaviour wasn’t simply the result of being mentally unstable. She had deliberately brought the new housemaid into the family as part of a plan to escape her husband. She knew exactly how he operated. She wanted him to become interested in the new girl so that she could eventually leave him and replace herself with another woman.And that’s exactly what happens.

But the new housemaid soon discovers that she hasn’t escaped the nightmare; she has inherited it.The husband locks the housemaid inside the attic after she accidentally breaks his mother’s precious Chinese dishes. He gives her a bizarre condition for her freedom: she must draw 21 lines on her stomach if she wants to get out.At this point, the housemaid finally begins to understand the horrifying truth: she wasn’t chosen to become part of this family. She was chosen to become the next victim.

Part 3: The Monster Finally Gets a Taste of His Own Medicine

The housemaid initially believes everything happening around her might be some kind of twisted game. But when she realises that the husband has actually given her this task as part of his cruel punishment, she decides to turn his own rules against him.

When the husband (played by Brandon Sklenar) enters the attic to check on her, she suddenly attacks him, stabbing him in the neck with one of the knives she found in her bathroom. He is badly injured and collapses. She then locks him inside the attic, the very place where he had imprisoned her wife previously.

For the first time, the roles are reversed. The man who controlled everyone in the house is now trapped and completely powerless. The housemaid even tells him that if he wants his freedom, he will have to experience the same helplessness he forced upon others.

But then the wife returns to rescue her housemaid. She still doesn’t know what has happened inside the attic and opens the door, accidentally freeing him. The husband immediately tries to attack both women, but during the struggle, he falls and dies.Now the two women have to decide what to do.

Instead of exposing everything, they work together to cover up his death. They tell the police that the husband was extremely particular about how everything in the house was arranged. According to their story, he accidentally fell while trying to fix the lightbulb. The police accept their explanation, and the case is closed.

The wife then gives the housemaid a $100,000 cheque as she walks away from the nightmare that nearly destroyed both of them.

Verdict: Don’t Miss This One

For me, Housemaid is one of those films where the writing keeps changing your understanding of the characters. What initially looks like a story about a mentally unstable wife slowly turns into a much darker story about manipulation, abuse, control, and revenge.

The screenplay is easily the biggest strength. The way the film turns the tables on the husband and makes him experience the same fear and helplessness he inflicted on others is extremely satisfying.If you’re looking for something gripping on Amazon Prime, I genuinely recommend giving Housemaid a watch. This is one of those films you shouldn’t miss.

Watch the trailer here

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