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The engrossing Chilean drama The Maid is certainly no Mr. Belvedere with its portrayal of Raquel (Catalina Saavedra), a maid who's bizarre behavior keeps you guessing to what lengths she will go to protect her territory.

Our first impression of Raquel is that she's a modest woman who's too embarrassed at first to attend, much less enjoy, a surprise 41st birthday party thrown by the family she works for. Having served them for over 20 years, she believes she's part of the family, but this is more a curse than a blessing because her entire world revolves around them and their house.

Raquel becomes increasingly erratic and spiteful, especially towards her employers' brattish daughter, Camila (Andrea García-Huidobro). While she's often taken for granted, Raquel's mental state is seemingly a result of severe headaches to which her "family" never addresses by saying, "Shouldn't you see a doctor because you're acting crazy like Glenn Close from Fatal Attraction."

It's not just family members who bear the brunt of her moodiness. Raquel goes so far as to lock other maids out of the house to drive them away. After she has a physical collapse, a happy-go-lucky maid named Lucy (Mariana Loyola) is hired to help. Lucy pities Raquel and reaches out to her. Raquel gradually becomes friends with Lucy, and her spite and headaches melt away as she learns there's more to life than just the house she works in.

With most of the action taking place in and around the family's house, The Maid is an interesting look into the life of a woman we never quite get to know. Clearly 20-plus years of servitude has taken a toll on someone whose presumably poor background means she will never truly fit in with her Chilean upper class "family." Saavedra is mesmerizing as a paranoid woman who's teetering on the brink of insanity. And there's always a possibility that she might drown a pet or kill everyone in their sleep to ensure that no one can steal them from her. At times she's sympathetic and others just plain scary. Yet she remains a mystery. There are some vague hints to her past, but they are never fully explored and we never quite know what made her the person she is when we meet her. Not to mention there's no explanation for her headaches.

Regardless...

Overall, The Maid is an edge-of-your-seat drama with a well-performed script and an interesting central character. Much like Mr. Belvedere, well, maybe not so much.

On a letter grade scale from A being excellent to F for failing, The Maid receives a B.
    
The Maid is rated R and has a running time of 95 minutes.

Now showing through January 21 @
Tivoli Cinemas
Westport Manor Square, 4050 Pennsylvania, KCMO
Visit www.tivolikc.com or call 913-383-7756 for show times.

By Michael D. Smith

Indie Film Editor

Michael D. Smith earned a Bachelor of Arts in history at College of the Ozarks in Point Lookout, Missouri followed by a Master of Arts in history at the University of Missouri-Kansas City.

Inspired by such critics as Gene Siskel and Roger Ebert, Michael started reviewing films in 1992 for College of the Ozarks's student-run newspaper. After returning to the Kansas City area in 1994, he continued film reviewing by writing for the Cass County Democrat Missourian in Harrisonville.

In 2000 Michael joined Sun Publications in Overland Park, Kansas where he served as its film critic and Arts and Entertainment Editor. During his tenure there, he was also the film critic for the "Fine Arts Radio Hour" and "Celebrity Scoop" radio shows on KXTR. After leaving the Sun in late 2002, he became the A&E writer for the Olathe News in Olathe, Kansas. He also worked as a freelance writer for The Squire in Leawood, Showcase Publishing in Lake Ozark, Missouri and the Kansas City Star.

Michael is currently a member of the Kansas City Film Critics Circle, a professional film critic organization established in 1966 by the late Dr. James Loutzenhiser.

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