The Maid (2009 film)

The Maid
Theatrical film poster
Directed by	Sebastián Silva
Written by	Pedro Peirano Sebastián Silva
Produced by	Gregorio González
Starring	Catalina Saavedra Claudia Celedón Alejandro Goic
Distributed by	Elephant Eye Films
Release date	August 13, 2009 (2009-08-13)
Running time	95 minutes
Country	Chile
Language	Spanish

The Maid (Spanish: La Nana) is a 2009 Chilean comedy-drama film, directed by Sebastián Silva and co-written by Silva and Pedro Peirano. It has won numerous awards since its premiere at the 25th Annual Sundance Film Festival. The film has had much critical acclaim, particularly for Catalina Saavedra's award-winning performance as the lead character.

Plot synopsis

For over 23 years, Raquel (Saavedra) has worked as the maid for the Valdes family.^[1] She shows utmost loyalty and respect to her employers, Pilar (Celedón) and Edmundo (Goic). Raquel gets along well with their teenage son, Lucas (Agustín Silva), but often clashes with their headstrong daughter, Camila (García-Huidobro).

When Raquel begins to suffer from dizzy spells caused by her excessive use of chlorine for household cleaning, Pilar decides to hire additional maids to assist Raquel with her daily chores. However, Raquel fiercely guards her territory and resents the newcomers, engaging in a series of increasingly desperate attempts to drive them away. This includes the younger maid, Lucy (Loyola), as Raquel tries to maintain her position in the household.^[2]

Cast

• Catalina Saavedra as Raquel
• Claudia Celedón as Pilar
• Alejandro Goic as Edmundo
• Mariana Loyola as Lucy
• Agustín Silva as Lucas
• Andrea García-Huidobro as Camila
• Anita Reeves as Sonia
• Delfina Guzmán as The Grandmother
• Luis Dubó as Eric
• Gloria Canales as Lucy's mom
• Luis Wigdorsky as Lucy's dad

Reception

Critical reception

Critics have responded very positively to the film. On Rotten Tomatoes the film has a 93% approval rating, based on 75 reviews, with an average rating of 7.6/10. The website's critical consensus reads, "Catalina Saavedra's devastating performance would be reason enough to see The Maid but Sebastian Silva's empathetic direction and finely tuned script only add to the movie's pleasing heft."^[3] On Metacritic, the film has a weighted average score of 82 out of 100, based on 24 critics, indicating "universal acclaim".^[4]

Film critic David Parkinson called it "an exceptional study of the emotional investment that domestics make in the families they serve. Saavedra is mesmerizing as she shifts from subservient to scheming."^[5] Chicago Sun-Times film critic Roger Ebert described the film as a "unpredictable, naturalistic gem."^[6]

Accolades

According to the National Board of Review, The Maid was one of 2009's five best Best Foreign-Language Films;^[7] also, it was nominated for the 67th Annual Golden Globe Awards consideration honoring 2009 achievements for the same category,^[8] and "AyAyAyAy" (the film's main theme song) was one of the 63 songs from eligible feature-length motion pictures contending for nominations in the Original Song category for the 82nd Academy Awards.^[9]

Despite the film's great success, the film was not chosen as Chile's submission to the 82nd Academy Awards. Instead, Miguel Littín's Dawson Isla 10 was sent, but the film didn't make the short-list.^[10]

Year	Event	Recipient	Award	Result
2009	Cartagena Film Festival	Sebastián Silva	Critics Award - Best Film	Won
		Catalina Saavedra	Golden India Catalina - Best Actress	Won
		Sebastián Silva	Golden India Catalina - Best Film	Nominated
	Gotham Film Awards	Gregorio González (producer) Sebastián Silva (director)	Best Feature	Nominated
		Catalina Saavedra	Breakthrough Actor/Actress	Won
	Off Plus Camera Film Festival Poland	Gregorio González (producer) Sebastián Silva (director)	Cracow Film Award (Best Film)	Won
	Sarasota Film Festival		Best Narrative Film	Won
	Fribourg International Film Festival	Sebastián Silva (director)	Talent Tape Award	Won
	Paris Cinema International Film Festival		Audience Award	Won
	Taipei Film Festival		Special Mention New Talent Competition 3rd Audience Award	Won
	Latin American Film Festival		Critics Award	Won
			Elcine First Prize - Best Film	Won
	Sundance Film Festival Awards		Grand Jury Prize: World Cinema - Dramatic	Won
		Catalina Saavedra	Special Jury Prize (For Acting): World Cinema - Dramatic	Won
	Satellite Awards 2009		Best Actress – Motion Picture Drama	Nominated
		Sebastián Silva (director)	Best Foreign Language Film	Won Tied with Broken Embraces
2010	NAACP Image Awards		Best Foreign Language Film	Nominated
	Golden Globes Awards		Best Foreign Language Film	Nominated

References

1. "The Maid (2009)". IndieWIRE.com. Retrieved 2009-10-23.
2. Chang, Justin (2009-01-24). "The Maid (2009)". Variety.com. Retrieved 2009-10-23.
3. "La Nana (The Maid) (2009)". Rotten Tomatoes. Retrieved 2022-02-02.
4. "The Maid Reviews". Metacritic. Retrieved March 21, 2020.
5. Radio Times, 29 September-5 October 2012, p.42
6. Ebert, Roger. "CIFF 2009: The winners! And our reviews". RogerEbert.com. Retrieved 2013-08-24.
7. "National Board of Review Awards 2009", IMDB, retrieved 2021-08-07
8. "Nominations & Winners". GoldenGlobes.org. Hollywood Foreign Press Association. Retrieved 2009-12-15.
9. "63 Original Songs Tune Up For 2009 Oscar". Oscars.org. Academy of Motion Picture Arts and Sciences. Retrieved 2009-12-17.
10. David Wallechinsky (4 May 2010). "Academy Awards: Foreign Language Films 2010". Huffington Post. many observers were surprised that it wasn't chosen as the nation's entry for the Academy Award.

External links

• Official website
• La Nana at IMDb

Awards
Preceded by The King of Ping Pong	Sundance Grand Jury Prize: World Cinema Dramatic 2009	Succeeded by Animal Kingdom