THE HOUSEMAID Review: Kim Ki-Young’s Debut Message Allegory Deals In Sex, Lies, Tragedy, And Moral Quandry

My early summer dive into the work of late auteur Kim Ki-young continues with a look at The Housemaid. The 1960 thriller was Kim’s debut, restored nearly half a century later for posterity, and is one of two Kim titles screening between now and July at the Metrograph in New York City.

The Housemaid preambles its scintillating tale with a discussion over a man’s affair with a housemaid as reported in a newspaper. The conversation then pans over to a game of Cat’s Cadle between the Kims’ children Ae-soon (Lee Yoo-ri), and Chang-soon (Ahn Sung-ki) as the opening credits role.

I instantly caught onto that little bit of optical foreshadowing which goes well in hand with composer Han Sang-gi’s score, which instantly gave me an idea of what to expect after going into this film without seeing any prior footage or reading up. Kim definitely piles up on this aspect of the film, including visual references to rat poison, his piano, and nightmares of waking up to a family of dead rats with human faces.

To say the least, The Housemaid doesn’t let up in its unraveling story of events culminating a tale of temptation, delusion and deadly obsession. Our story follows Dong-sik (Kim Jin-kyu), a piano teacher who heads a music club for a group of factory workers. In an effort to make extra income for his increasing family of four, volunteers himself as a piano teacher for willing students. He finds one in factory worker Kyung-hee (Um Aing-ran), who also helps Mr. Kim make in-roads to the hire of a housemaid in eccentric factory cleaner, Myung-sook (Lee Eun-shim).

Preceded by a love letter from a factory worker that results in the worker’s own suicide sometime after, The Housemaid thickens with twisted machinations of lust and murder. Dong-shik’s pregnant wife (Ju Jeung-ryu) is a tireless fabric maker who pushes herself to the point of physical exhaustion. As a means of R&R, he sends her to stay with the in-laws for a while so she can recuperate.

Thinks take a dark turn for Dong-shik after attending the funeral of the factory worker who killed herself, following the controversial love letter. Guilt and grief stricken, the usually faithful Dong-shik is caught in a moment of weakness when entrapped by Myung-sook, who seizes her opportunity to take her first step in replacing Mrs. Kim.

The plot unravels into a series of deadly twists that only escalate after the affair, turning a once peaceful household with dreams of upward mobility, into a full-blown nightmare. Holding the family hostage, Myung-sook has the upper hand as the boundaries of love and marriage are tenaciously tested beyond already-broken trust.

The Housemaid ends about as rougish as it begins. It’s a tonal relief from the 100+ minutes the film journeys with all the orchestral horror and psychological upheaval one can endure for its runtime. There were moments I found myself yelling at the characters to get themselves out of certain situations I thought were bone-headed, but I took it in stride to see where things went, and how Kim, in his mind, would allow these scenarios to play out. During these moments, it’s fair to weigh just how deep the impasse is between the characters as you sympathize with them and hope for their survival, regardless of the Shakespearean or Hitchcockian allure this film plays into.

Until this film, my only diligence here extends to seeing Kim’s final film, An Experience To Die For, which definitely pushes the envelope a little more in comparison. It’s pretty mezmerizing to see films like these, especially when you factor in the eras during which they’re made and all the history that entails with their creation.

I’m yet to be familiar with Im Sang-soo’s The Housemaid, a 2010 remake of the same name, which I think would have made for better analysis here. Nevertheless, fans of Asian film will find something worthwhile and nourishing in Kim’s freshman feature. It’s a scintillating throwback and a classic gem to experience, and I think worded this review enough to make ambiguous anything that might have come across spoilery for anyone as new to this film as I was.

Lee B. Golden III

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Native New Yorker. Been writing for a long time now, and I enjoy what I do. Be nice to me!