Holy smokes! Where do I start. I guess with a couple disclaimers. If you’re going to go see ‘The Housemaid’ based off my super strong recommendation, be advised that there is ample violence, nudity, and some incredibly stressful situations. Having said that, I went into the theatre fairly confident that I was going to write this review so I was rather ready to be critical – not necessarily negative – just more discerning than I might be otherwise. With each character that was revealed, I was hyper-focused on not just their delivery, but their presence and their chemistry with the set, each other, and their situational circumstances. I was so hyper-focused and aware, it turns out, that I left the theatre feeling physically…shaken? Not in a bad way – more like getting off a crazy intense roller coaster. But more on that later. Oh, and mild spoilers ahead…sorry.

Like many of you, I first saw Amanda Seyfried as the vapid, supporting bimbo in ‘Mean Girls’. And as a rich and famous actress, she looks as young and fresh as ever. So, when I first saw her on screen, I was very aware that my brain didn’t want to accept that she was the right actress for this type of role. Didn’t they need someone…older? It’s not that I have her typecast in my head as that same vulnerable, clueless teen tag-along, but rather I forget that she’s not a teenager anymore. She’s actually 40 – a perfectly reasonable age to play the housewife role assigned in The Housemaid. But it’s not like I googled this in the middle of the movie to put my neurosis to rest. Rather, her continually strong performance, the writing that drove it, and the feedback from the other actors did an excellent job of showing and not telling that this was a young mother, but one who had been pushed too far for too long. 

What struck me right away with Sydney Sweeny’s performance was her ability to maintain her signature helpless yet expectant pout for an entire scene. I’m not sure she breathed through her nose the entire film. However, as her backstory developed, her look lost its helplessness and slowly took on a dimension of calculation. They even set us off from the get-go with a telling inner monologue which adds an additional layer of intrigue to the continued guessing game of does she know she knows she knows. Her deadpan delivery of certain weighted lines, and intermittent injection of unexpected snark broke the serious tension in theatre with surprise laughter that was clearly planned, intentional, and well executed. It should be noted that, like Amanda, she quickly eroded any misconception I had that she was some teeny-bopper trying to play up to a “big girl role”. They are both clearly experience, talented, and capable. 

As the palpable tension quickly builds between the two actresses, Brandon Sklenar plays referee as the doting, impossibly patient husband. Early on, I knew there would be a twist, and Mr. Sklenar’s delivery actually had me believing he would play his white knight role all the way through. The big mystery, I had convinced myself, was how this hunky and fawning husband and father could continue to put up with Seyfried’s increasingly irrational outbursts. 

But ‘The Housemaid’ hasn’t been described as a “twisty-turny thriller” for no reason. As the tension breaks wide open from the second act into the third, I couldn’t help but think how fun it must have been for these three beautiful people to get to act so un-hinged. The ladies of course, but also Sklenar. They must all be sick of playing pretty, if not troubled faces. But here each gets to devolve, taking turns at rather gruesome body horror vignettes, screaming like lunatics, and also helping paint some rather emotionally heavy, complicated, and entangled scenarios. I can only imagine the level of artistic expression, freedom, and release.  

As more is revealed, and revealed quickly, I couldn’t help but notice the unspoken theme of empathy shown towards an antagonist. In countless new-school dramas, villains have become increasingly complicated and relatable. Are they misunderstood? Were they abused or have misdirected trauma? Or maybe its just that I am also this way to a fault and just want to understand why people hurt and continue to pass the hurt on. To this point, keep your eye on the husband’s mother. 

Ultimately, this movie was a wild and crazy ride. I resolved to open up my intellectual and emotional aperture going into it and boy did that backfire. As a rather domesticated dude, the situations, energy, and dynamics were all too real. Now, there were plenty of scenes that had the packed theatre holding its collective breath or gasping and grueling, but the quiet, wordless exchanges also grasped and clawed. This movie is the opposite of an escape. It will hold you captive and throw away the key. 

Excellent writing, directing, and performances combined to create an enchanting then compelling then troubled love triangle for the next generation. With plenty of secrets and twists hiding in plain sight, it also appears to have the re-watchable staying power of a modern classic. In closing, I couldn’t recommend ‘The Housemaid’ more. Just see if the concession stand kid can sprinkle some Xanax on your popcorn before it starts. 

Matt Hebert is an engineer and self-published author. His dopamine-fueled creative pursuits have spanned from chicken keeping, sand sculpture, acting, and public speaking, but writing is nearest and dearest to his heart. He lives in Bellevue with his wife and two daughters. You can find him on Instagram at @jerkofalltradeshebert or email him at matt.hebert.books@gmail.com