By MICHAEL GINGOLD
Joining the many Asian countries to unleash cinematic fright fare (most recently Laos with the films of Mattie Do), Vietnam has produced a supernatural thriller called THE HOUSEMAID that’s been making waves in recent months, and now it’s set for Stateside release.
IFC Films will release THE HOUSEMAID February 16 in select theaters and on VOD as part of its IFC Midnight line. Written and directed by Derek Nguyen, it stars Nhung Kate, Jean-Michel Richaud, Kim Xuan, Rosie Fellner, Phi Phung, Kien An and Linh Son. The movie, which opened in its home country in September 2016, became the third highest-grossing chiller there, and Nhung won a Special Jury Prize for her performance at last year’s Los Angeles Film Festival. The synopsis: “Vietnam, 1953: Linh [Nhung], a poor, orphaned young woman, finds employment as a housemaid in a crumbling rubber plantation presided over by the emotionally fragile French officer Sebastien Laurent [Richaud]. Soon, a torrid love affair develops between the two—a taboo romance that rouses the ghost of Laurent’s dead wife, who won’t rest until blood flows.” Check out the export poster and UK trailer below, and look for more on THE HOUSEMAID’s U.S. release as the date approaches!
