Source:Edward Douglas

October 13, 2009

Here at ComingSoon.net we like to shake things up once in a while by introducing our devoted movie-loving readers to new talent making independent films you might not normally get a chance to hear about.

That is certainly the case with director Sebastián Silva, who was born and raised in Chile and has spent the last year living in New York City. His second movie The Maid (La Nana) made a low-key debut at the Sundance Film Festival back in January and ended up walking away with a Grand Jury Prize in the World Cinema category, as well as another award for the performance by its star, Catalina Saavedra. It then played a number of other festivals, winning similar awards in Mexico and Columbia, as well as playing as part of Lincoln Center's prestigious "New Directors/New Films" series.

It's a simple story about a family and their live-in maid Raquel, played by Saavedra, and what happens when she falls ill and the lady of the house decides to hire a second maid to help her. For such a simple premise and setting--it mainly takes place in the family's house, for which Silva substituted his own family's home--Silva has found a way to fill the entire movie with poignancy and humor that makes it a real crowd-pleaser, and a lot of that comes from the expressive performance by Saavedra. Even so, one could easily see the movie being remade as a comedy vehicle for some hot Hollywood actress or other, which fails to retain the warmth and immediacy of Silva's film.

ComingSoon.net had a chance to talk to Silva about the film; you can watch our exclusive video below.

The Maid will open in New York at the Angelika Film Center on Friday, October 16, Los Angeles on October 23, and you can see where else on the Official Site.

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