In this wonderful Spanish import, Chilean comedienne Catalina Saavedra is positively brilliant as Raquel, a live in maid who, after 23 years of service to a middle class Latin family, finally begins showing signs of fatigue. In an effort to help their honorary family member, Raquel's employers opt to bring in another maid. This doesn't sit well with the obsessively diligent housekeeper at all. In fact, Raquel begins sabotaging the family's new recruits through a wide range of ways including locking them out of the house. It's almost as if Raquel is exhibiting strange, child like behavior in a bid for attention. This sad, lonely soul meets her match however, in the form of Lucy, a free spirit with a most unique approach to Raquel's childish antics. The Maid is an engrossing, unpredictable dramedy that pulls humor from the most amazing (and in some cases, uncomfortable) places. Again, props to Catalina Saavedra for her incredibly complex portrayal of a woman you'll hate one moment, and fall in love with the next. This is a truly remarkable performance. In fact, all the performances are outstanding here, and there's no showboating to be found. In The Maid, subtlety reigns supreme. Aside from Saavedra, Mariana Loyola is a stand out as the compassionate Lucy. She sort of reminds me of a Latin Toni Collette. With The Maid, writer/ director Sebastian Silva has fashioned an exceptional film, one I'm looking forward to seeing again.