The Housemaid is a remake of a 1960 film, both made in Korea, both with the same name. The original was a hit, both with audiences and with critics. It is now considered a masterpiece of its genre although I’m not sure if it’s to the degree of Citizen Kane or more to the degree of Head. Kim Ki-Young, the director of the original, brought a different aesthetic to Korean film then had been seen before. His work influenced many of the big Korean directors known today such as Park Chan-Wook and Bong Joon-Ho. I have not seen the original but if it is as good as I’m hearing it is, I can’t believe that news of this remake was met with much applause. And, after seeing the remake, unless the original had as big of a question mark at the end of it, I also can’t believe that this film will make many of the fans of the original film very happy.

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