Select language, opens an overlay

Comment

Dec 27, 2014Nursebob rated this title 3.5 out of 5 stars
Dour-faced and glum, Raquel has been the maid for Mundo Pilar and his wife for over 20 years; long enough to raise their children and become acquainted with everyone’s little secrets and idiosyncrasies. You could say she’s become a family fixture...of course when push comes to shove her place in the hierarchy of things is made quite clear. But when Mrs. Pilar decides to take on a second maid to help with the chores Raquel’s crueler streak finds ample opportunities to assert itself as she harasses each new recruit until they quit in frustration; until the Pilar’s hire Lucy. Raquel’s opposite in almost every way, Lucy’s ebullient nature and warm heart soon break through the older maid’s cold exterior to reveal an unexpected vulnerability... I suppose one could see The Maid as a subtle critique of class relations in Latin America, or the struggle within the lower classes themselves as Raquel takes a few snide swipes at the first maid’s Peruvian heritage. While I certainly can’t disagree with those observations, this is first and foremost a beautifully realized tale of one woman’s personal growth delivered with sly candour and more than few gentle smiles. The Brady Bunch was never like this.