The Housemaid (Vietnamese: Cô Hầu Gái) is a 2016 Vietnamese gothic romance horror film directed by Derek Nguyen and starring Nhung Kate, Jean-Michel Richaud, Kim Xuan, and Rosie Fellner. Released in Vietnam on 16 September 2016, the film became the third-highest-grossing horror film in Vietnam's history[2] and had its North American premiere at the 2017 Los Angeles Film Festival.[3][4][5]
| The Housemaid | |
|---|---|
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| Cô Hầu Gái | |
| Directed by | Derek Nguyen |
| Written by | Derek Nguyen |
| Produced by | Timothy Linh Bui Yuno Choi Ha Quynh Vu Nguyen The Phong |
| Starring | Nhung Kate Jean-Michel Richaud Kim Xuan Rosie Fellner Phi Phung Kien An |
| Cinematography | Sam Chase |
| Edited by | Stephane Gauger |
| Music by | Jerome Leroy |
Production companies | HKFilm Vietnam CJ E&M Film Division |
Release date |
|
Running time | 106 minutes [1] |
| Country | Vietnam |
| Languages | Vietnamese English |
Plot
editSet in 1953 Vietnam during the First Indochinese War, the film tells the story of an orphaned country girl named Linh, who gets hired to be a housemaid at a haunted French rubber plantation. She unexpectedly falls in love with the French landowner Captain Sebastien Laurent, and awakens the vengeful ghost of his dead wife, Camille... who is out for blood.
Cast
edit- Nhung Kate as Linh
- Jean-Michel Richaud as Captain Sebastien Laurent
- Kim Xuan as Mrs. Han
- Rosie Fellner as Madeleine
- Phi Phung as Mrs. Ngo
- Kien An as Mr. Chau
- Svitlana Kovalenko as Madame Camille
- Linh Son Nguyen as Bao
Release
editThe film was released in Vietnam on 16 September 2016. Since then, the film has sold to 18 different territories including Australia (JBG Pictures), Turkey (Medyavizyon), Peru (Delta Films), Malaysia (Suraya Filem), and the UK (Eureka Entertainment).[6] IFC Films released the film theatrically and on video on demand on 16 February 2018 in North America via their horror label IFC Midnight.[7]
Reception
editCritical reception
editThe review aggregator website Rotten Tomatoes reported that 69% of critics have given the film a positive review based on 13 reviews, with an average rating of 5.79/10.[8] On Metacritic, the film has a weighted average score of 61 out of 100 based on 4 critics, indicating "generally favorable reviews".[9]
Awards
editAt the 2017 Los Angeles Film Festival, Nhung Kate received a Special Jury Prize for Acting for her portrayal of Linh.[10]
The film was honored with the Silver Lotus Award (second prize) at the 2017 Vietnamese Film Festival[11] and received awards for Best Score and Best Sound Design.[12]
Remake
editCJ E&M Film Division is producing and financing an American remake of the film, with a screenplay to be written by Oscar-winning screenwriter Geoffrey S. Fletcher.[13]
References
edit- ^ "The Housemaid". Los Angeles Film Festival. Archived from the original on 30 December 2018. Retrieved 21 September 2017.
- ^ Kil, Sonia (9 December 2016). "IFFAM: Korea's CJ Pushes Vietnam Productions as 'Housemaid' Debuts". Variety. Retrieved 5 September 2017.
- ^ Warren, Matt (9 May 2017). "2017 LA Film Festival Competition Lineup Announced! What's Playing and How to See It". Film Independent. Retrieved 5 September 2017.
- ^ Erbland, Kate (9 May 2017). "LAFF 2017 Announces Full Slate, Including Competition and Episodic Offerings". IndieWire. Retrieved 19 September 2017.
- ^ Hipes, Patrick (9 May 2017). "Los Angeles Film Festival Unveils 2017 Lineup". Deadline Hollywood.
- ^ "The Housemaid IMDB". IMDB. Retrieved 16 September 2016.
- ^ "The Housemaid". IFC Films.
- ^ "The Housemaid (Cô Hâu Gái) (2018)". Rotten Tomatoes. Fandango Media. Retrieved 4 January 2020.
- ^ "The Housemaid (2018) Reviews". Metacritic. CBS Interactive. Retrieved 22 February 2018.
- ^ Collins, Ryan. "2017 LA Film Festival Announces Winners". Film Independent. Archived from the original on 13 July 2017. Retrieved 25 October 2017.
- ^ Phuong, Ha. "Jailbait won the Golden Lotus prize at Vietnamese Film Festival". Hanoi Times. Archived from the original on 29 November 2017. Retrieved 29 November 2017.
- ^ Dan, Nhan (4 December 2017). "The 20th Vietnam Film Festival: festivity of 'the twenties'". Vietnam Investment Review. Retrieved 4 December 2017.
- ^ Ramos, Dino Ray (February 2018). "Geoffrey Fletcher to Write Remake of Vietnamese Horror Pic 'The Housemaid'". Deadline. Retrieved 3 February 2018.
External links
edit- The Housemaid at IMDb
- Film review at Culture Crypt
- Interview with writer/director Nguyen in Asia Life Magazine Archived 20 September 2017 at the Wayback Machine