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“What the hell was that?” exclaimed one of three tourists
sitting behind me at a screening of Live-in Maid as the
credits began to roll. Seeking an oasis from the outdoor heat,
the group had clearly plodded into Mark Cuban’s brand-new Los
Angeles art-house not knowing what the movie was about,
expecting something rather mainstream. The fact that Live-in
Maid is a meditative, introspective look at lives of two
older women did not come easy to the three. I, on the other
hand, was delighted by the freshness and authenticity of this
tale of a financially-pressed Buenos Aires business-woman and
the relationship that she has with her maid of thirty-years.
This is the kind of movie where nothing much happens, but it
doesn’t need to. The lives of the two main characters progress
naturally and beautifully, subtly providing insight on both the
human condition and the economic situation of Argentina in the
late 1990s. The lead performances by Norma Argentina and Norma
Aleandro feel real and are wonderfully nuanced. The movie may
not ultimately leave much of a lasting impression—the story is
enlightening, although not particularly memorable—but it
certainly offers open-minded viewers a delicate little
experience to immerse themselves in.
-Danny Baldwin,
Bucket Reviews
Review Published
on: 9.10.2007
Screened on:
9.8.2007 at the Landmark 12 in West Los Angeles, CA.
Live-in Maid is Not Rated and runs 83
minutes.
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