Live-In Maid
Live-In Maid is a little gem of a movie from Argentina. It is the feature film debut of director Jorge Gaggero and it is quite a debut indeed.
The story takes place in Argentina in the early 2000s. This is the time period in which many people suffered from serious financial woes. Beba (Norma Aleandro) is an upper middle class woman who is on a downward slide. She is no longer with her husband (who isn't doing that well either) and is having trouble paying her bills. She hasn't paid her maid Dora (Norma Argentina) for many months. Dora is thinking of leaving Beba and getting a job closer to her home outside of Buenos Aires. Also of note - Beba's daughter lives in Madrid and seems to want very little to do with her mother. We find out a piece of information about the daughter later on in the film that might be a bone of contention with the mother.
Live-In Maid is a wonderful portrait of two women who are struggling but manage to survive. There are very few films about older women with financial problems. Aleandro, as usual, is wonderful. I have seen her in many films and she always gives a terrific performance. Argentina is also outstanding. And she is not an actress but a woman who has worked as a maid.
Gaggero has a casting call for maids - he really wanted his film to be authentic. Cinematographer Javier Julia does an amazing job of capturing the emotions of the women by giving us beautiful shots of their faces.
Gaggero is a filmmaker to watch and I eagerly await his next film. I wonder if Argentina will be in another film. I hope so. She is a very talented woman (and she looks real as does Aleandro).
Live-In Maid has a small distributor so I don't know if it will play in many theaters. I was thrilled when it opened up at my local art theater after playing at only one or two theaters in Manhattan. But if you can't manage to see it in the theater then do yourself a favor and rent it when it comes out on DVD (according to Netflix it will be released in December). You will be in for a cinematic treat.
The story takes place in Argentina in the early 2000s. This is the time period in which many people suffered from serious financial woes. Beba (Norma Aleandro) is an upper middle class woman who is on a downward slide. She is no longer with her husband (who isn't doing that well either) and is having trouble paying her bills. She hasn't paid her maid Dora (Norma Argentina) for many months. Dora is thinking of leaving Beba and getting a job closer to her home outside of Buenos Aires. Also of note - Beba's daughter lives in Madrid and seems to want very little to do with her mother. We find out a piece of information about the daughter later on in the film that might be a bone of contention with the mother.
Live-In Maid is a wonderful portrait of two women who are struggling but manage to survive. There are very few films about older women with financial problems. Aleandro, as usual, is wonderful. I have seen her in many films and she always gives a terrific performance. Argentina is also outstanding. And she is not an actress but a woman who has worked as a maid.
Gaggero has a casting call for maids - he really wanted his film to be authentic. Cinematographer Javier Julia does an amazing job of capturing the emotions of the women by giving us beautiful shots of their faces.
Gaggero is a filmmaker to watch and I eagerly await his next film. I wonder if Argentina will be in another film. I hope so. She is a very talented woman (and she looks real as does Aleandro).
Live-In Maid has a small distributor so I don't know if it will play in many theaters. I was thrilled when it opened up at my local art theater after playing at only one or two theaters in Manhattan. But if you can't manage to see it in the theater then do yourself a favor and rent it when it comes out on DVD (according to Netflix it will be released in December). You will be in for a cinematic treat.
posted by Film Fanatic | 6:28 PM
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