FILM-FORWARD.COMReviews of Recent Independent, Foreign, & Documentary Films in Theaters and DVD/Home Video
THE HOUSEKEEPER
The Housekeeper tells the poignant story of Jacques
and Laura, two lonely people drawn to each other for all the wrong, but
entirely understandable reasons. When we first encounter Jacques, (played with
endearing earnestness by Bacri) he is in his
apartment, shrouded in darkness: The apartment is a mess and so is his life.
After responding to an ad for a housecleaner, he is pleased to discover that
the applicant is a young pretty woman. Once Laura (the refreshingly
engaging Dequenne) begins working for Jacques, not only does his
apartment begin to brighten, but his own pallor seems to as well. In turn,
there is a sadness and neediness in Laura that is wholly palpable.
Soon she is asking Jacques to move in with him after she and her boyfriend
break up. Reluctantly, Jacques agrees (“only for a few days”) and the two
settle into a peculiar sort of complacent domesticity: She happily cooks and
cleans; he is disappointed if she is not there to greet him when he arrives.
The contrast between the two verges on the comical; he vainly tries to
listen to classical music as she cleans to blaring pop music. Out of their
mutual dependency, a sexual relationship begins to develop and while many
may be put-off by another clichéd tale of a middle-aged man taking up with a
girl half his age, one can understand why the two enter into this doomed
relationship. Since we know the ending, the film tends to feel drawn out at times.
However, the actors do a fine job of portraying their
characters with a sincerity and subtlety that makes them all too human. Tanya Chesterfield, Book Reviewer (Barnes & Noble.com)
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