fdhodges
I Thought the movie was pretty decent I watched it from start to finish I was intrigued with wanting to know what the end would be the characters were decent I really enjoyed the dad's part because I probably would've been a daddy's girl because I would have stuck with him the son kind a got on my nerves but I know it was acting but all in all it was a good movieIt was a subtle film with subtle hints of thriller it was not over done ...pretty much I liked. Without special effects and a whole bunch of scene changes I thought good. Need to go back and watch because I didn't understand the ants role.
Kenneth Hobbs
..the film was atmospheric and to some degree well acted and directed.The early half of the film was pretty good leaving me with a plot I was about settle into and in the main enjoy. I enjoyed the superiority of the rich against the poor. The lady of the house informing the maid 'my son has been sick in the garage, clean it up'I particularly enjoyed the early stand off against maid and wealthy owner .....there were some early clues of the rich kid attitude.Matters did take a predictable course but could I predict the conclusion, not really because I could not make out the action as most of the plot, unfortunately, was shot ...no pun intended... in darkness and I believe this really did spoil what could have been a thriller of worth.
rogerjvela
This is my first review because I saw other reviews unfairly bash this title. This movie breathes classic filmography, with haunting sound sequences, intriguing art direction, good story pace, and excellent dramatic acting by indie actors. The story will not offer you something "new", what I mean to say is: the plot is plausible in the real world, and most likely similar situations have happened. The actors were believable because the plot is believable and what makes the plot come alive is that the reactions of the characters lead them to commit acts that only twisted, and strange people may commit. That is where most of entertainment of watching this feature will come from and I had an absolute blast watching this film. The characters evolve emotionally over the course of the film and the sense of despair that they go through is portrayed in a way that is reachable to the audience and it all leads to a finale that is subdued yet very satisfying. This movie deserves a much better rating than it has and I again, underscore the work of the writer / director who lays out thought provoking dialog, and whose personal touch with the art direction could be clearly revealed throughout the movie, adding a moody sense to a very thoughtful, and well produced film.
bob_meg
The Maid's Room has got to be one of the most confused thrillers I can remember seeing. It's got an almost nonsensical plot structure. Don't confuse that with "innovative" or "creative" --- no, the script for this film is a complete mess.Michael Walker seems to be a bright guy with some very interesting ideas. His last film, "Price Check," took a lot of chances and turned the office rom-com genre on its head in the process. I didn't always love what he did with the storyline and characters in "Price Check", but it was logical and provoking, and the characters had depth enough to make intelligent decisions and retain your interest. Oh yeah, casting Parker Posey, an almost unsinkable talent, as his lead didn't hurt either.Walker tries a similar stunt with the domestic thriller genre. His lead this time is the beguiling Paula Garces, who brings just the right tone to Drina, a young Columbian maid who the Crawfords (Bill Camp and Annabella Sciorra) hire to basically babysit and clean up after their coddled son at their Long Island mansion while they go back to NYC for the summer. Unfortunately, shortly after their departure, the son, Brandon (Phillip Ettinger), gets involved in an accident that appears a bit more serious than he lets on. When Drina finds blood on a sponge Brandon used to clean up, you can imagine the consequences for all involved, witnesses and otherwise.Or can you? That's the thing about The Maid's Room...things don't exactly go as you'd predict. I'm ordinarily all for these types of out-of-the-box twists, but they fail in this case because the characters who are left holding the bag after this mid-film climax simply aren't worth watching (or well cast). From then on, this film is something of a schizophrenic freakshow, careening in tone from "Night of the Living Dead" territory to "Revenge of the Migrant Workers." What did Walker intend to do here, then? Ah, yes. That's the other big problem. I heard lots of bad press on this movie shortly after it opened mostly because it "demonized the filthy rich" and made them into "impossibly heartless baddies." Ehh, not really. I don't think any of the Crawford's actions (and far worse no doubt) are beyond the qualms of the upper class and those who aspire to their leagues. I didn't even think Bill Camp's constant pompous prattling about "what it takes to succeed" to his son were overblown. But do we really need constant shots of invading ants to hammer home the corruption of these upper crusters? It's lame symbolism, not to mention idiotic (hire an exterminator or buy a jug of vinegar, for god's sake).The film simply tries overly hard to do all the wrong things. It's not artful or subtle enough to offer anything we don't already know about class conflict, the plight of immigrants, or the corruption of power. I'm sure some directors could pull it off, but they'd need a far more talented cast (apologies to Sciorra, who's great, but she's given nothing to do here but literally bitch).The Maid's Room is a thriller and it needs to thrill. All it drew from me was a semi-bored, confounded stare.