Cô Hâu Gái

With elements of master-servant romantic relationships in both the Korean film of the same name and Vietnam's superior "Scent of Green Papaya," like those movies, this solid movie does much with very little. What seems like a simple haunting with romantic overtones turns into an epic tale underpinning a much larger morality tale of retribution for colonial injustice. While too slow for many Westerners, this movie makes the most of what it has, never overplaying but keeping viewers guessing. Don't get too comfortable or bored because the whole thing wraps up in a tight, illuminating ending that resonates after the credits. You'll be glad you stay until the end. But be warned: if you were looking for easy romance or obvious horror, you're likely to be disappointed. There's much more to "The Housemaid" than kisses and scares.

This moves at an extremely slow pace. Other than that, there isn't a lot to say. It's a ghost story but it isn't scary. The acting was ok There were a few plot holes that are a bit irritating simply because I prefer loose end to be tied up. I love good ghost stories and there's not many out there so anytime I can find one that has a decent rating I have to check it out. If you enjoy ghost movies you might find this entertaining.

The unusual setting of 1950s Indochina under French colonial rule provides Derek Nguyen's horror-romance hybrid with an element of interest that just about prevents it from being written off as yet another generic genre film. Kate Nhung is very sympathetic as Linh, a young peasant girl who wins a job as housemaid to a French captain on a rubber plantation, but her growing relationship with the young captain, and subsequent conflict with other staff members doesn't provide enough impetus. The horror elements are incredibly weak, both in terms of plot development and scares.

I thought the pacing was perfect and I liked the blending of the horror done by man that leads to just though heartbreaking justice. The ending was effective and well-done. I will watch this one again.

I never expect very much when I watch a Vietnamese movie. Most of the time they are not that great due to overacting and things like that. But with The Housemaid I never had that feeling, on the contrary I thought all the actors were good for once. For the horror part I was expecting more though. Okay it's a bit dark and there are some good passages but the movie could have used more of those moments. The story wasn't bad either. It came even with a twist that I didn't see coming and that's always good. I would not go that far that I would watch it again but it's worth a watch. When it's about Asian movies the Korean ones are definitely the best ones but this Vietnamese one was better then I expected it to be.