The Maid

The Maid (La Nana) takes place in Chile and is the second movie from Chile to play at the Angelika in as many months (the previous title was Tony Manero). The Maid serves a straight-on character study of a domestic who lives with a wealthy family. Social differences are on view but the story really revolves around the unfulfilled inner life of Rachel (Catalina Saavedra) the titular servant.
Saavedra makes The Maid a field day for mugging. She casts such dour looks throughout you cannot believe anybody has that big of a chip on their shoulder. Sometimes her malevolent stare makes you think the film's about to go psycho. But that doesn't happen, the filmmaker wants us to observe the ups and downs of both Raquel and her extended family.
Rachel offers little humor in her life. She's an Ugly Betty but she mistreats the family's kitten rather than look for the chance of bearing comic relief. Rachel constantly harasses other household employees; it's a wonder the family keeps her on. By the end Saavedra starts to show a welcome arc to her character, perhaps slightly changed by an encounter with another domestic servant who refuses to let Rachel intimidate her.