Paul Feig is the best-dressed director in Hollywood, no question, and his wardrobe of suits, ties and waistcoats, and more is as unique and distinctive as all his films are. Indeed, long celebrated for his natural and deft comedic touch, he has dabbled in broader – and far darker – fare than perhaps the filmmaker of Bridesmaids would have been expected to tackle. A Simple Favour, and its sequel, proved a favourite of many (sadly, not this writer), and it’s no surprise, really, that he would be taken with the hit novel The Housemaid and bring it to the screen, such is its dynamics.
With his confident pivots into psychological thriller territory, he has made a name for himself. In this twisty, unsettling, yet brilliant new film, he transposes his sense of timing, so crucial in the comedy space, almost seamlessly into this intoxicating white-knuckle ride that needs to be seen to be believed. Each beat lands, every reveal orchestrated precisely and devastatingly, with Feig subverting expectations one more and guiding audiences through a labyrinth of tension, misdirection and tantalising subterfuge.
The palatial setting of The Housemaid is an aspirational, high-end mansion in a snowy town, belongs to the Winchesters, a well-to-do and famous family with strong and established links to the community an ungettable, high-end mansion in a snowy town, it is home to The Winchesters, a well-to-do, famous and wealthy family with many long-standing links to the community. Wife Nina (Amanda Seyfried) is looking for a new live-in housekeeper and stumbles upon Millie (Sydney Seyfried), who seems perfect – if not, too perfect – for the role. They begin nicely enough, but within days of starting, Millie begins to suspect other things at play that could turn sinister: strange occurrences, missing items, overheard arguments and half-truths lead her to the brink of leaving, but she needs the money and work more desperately than Nina and husband Andrew (Brandon Sklenar) can ever imagine.
What begins as a live-in housekeeper situation quickly escalates, with far more secrets and lies than any of them know. Feig, with his timing so in tune with the story and themes, allows the story to unfold with deliberate restraint, each twist and turn coming naturally and with such propulsion that most will be caught off guard by the unravelling situation in and around the Winchesters’ home. The deeper you go – or, indeed, higher you go, given Millie’s bedroom is in the roof – the more you discover that you know nothing about what is to come in The Housemaid.
Ably thrust along by three excellent turns, it’s Seyfried who is the true highlight of the film, delivering one of the most subtly precise performances of her career. She has a delicate touch with her character’s unravelling, using shifts in expressions and little looks of fire underneath her desperate housewife facade that make her utterly compelling. She is resilient, grounded but audacious, and sensational throughout. It’s been a phenomenal year for the actress, with her staggering turn in Mona Fastvold’s electrifying epic The Testament of Ann Lee still to come.
Much has been made of Sweeney’s year, though, with three of her films bombing at the box office – some sinking without a trace – despite her uniformly good performances. Indeed, her turn as real-life boxer Christy Martin is sensational, despite the movie’s failure to capture an audience. Here, she continues her upward curve that, despite her age, proves she has a long, long way to go to even reach her true potential. She makes Millie hard to pin down in an ambiguous, almost dangerous performance that is part confidante, part observer, part fearless and her scenes with Seyfried propel the film: two women circling each other with alternating curiosity, mistrust, and a tension that thickens as secrets rise to the surface.
Those perhaps looking at this might be thinking it’s another “cheap” airport book adaptation with no substance, no style and certainly nothing unexpected, but trust us when we say the twists in The Housemaid are often plentiful and supremely surprising. Feig, who performs wonders with the material, threads each revelation through the story’s emotional stakes, ensuring the bombshells hit with both shock value and narrative purpose.
The film is perhaps a little too glossy for some tastes, and some may react negatively to the sheer amount of heft the film packs tightly into two hours. Trust us when we say The Housemaid is one of the biggest surprises of the year. Showcasing Feig, Sweeney and Seyfried at their best, it’s a gripping, twist-laden thriller that keeps you leaning forward until the very last moment. It’s an unexpected triumph.
★★★★
In cinemas on December 26th / Amanda Seyfried, Sydney Sweeney, Brandon Sklenar / Dir: Paul Feig / Lionsgate / 15
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