Live-In Maid
Live-In Maid
| 21 September 2004 (USA)
Live-In Maid Trailers

Buenos Aires is in a deep recession. As the money runs out, the relationship between an employer and her live-in maid changes dramatically.

Reviews
Peereddi I was totally surprised at how great this film.You could feel your paranoia rise as the film went on and as you gradually learned the details of the real situation.
ActuallyGlimmer The best films of this genre always show a path and provide a takeaway for being a better person.
Siflutter It's easily one of the freshest, sharpest and most enjoyable films of this year.
Isbel A terrific literary drama and character piece that shows how the process of creating art can be seen differently by those doing it and those looking at it from the outside.
Vasiliy Brian Komendant This film to me is undoubtedly one of the rare and stupendous examples of what they call (in the best sense possible) - an "actors' director", or in this case, rather - an actresses' one. I shall not bore you with the plot, it is all in the respective IMDb section, instead I will tell why I consider this a must-see for anyone who appreciates stories about relationships, who enjoys and values the intricacies of a female character (in this case - two rather opposite ones) beautifully unfolded. The love-and-hate relationship between the lady of the house (a bit delusional, totally broke and trying desperately to save her face) and her mucama, played to perfection by the grand Norma Aleandro and the fantastic discovery of Jorge Gaggero - Norma Argentina. What amazes me is how incredibly sensitive the director is to the enormous difference in characters of the actresses and their approaches, how seamlessly he makes that gap serve the purpose of his brilliantly written story. Every scene is a master class in subtlety, wit and purposefulness. In my view, many new directors will benefit enormously if they watch the film with an open mind. I was astonished by the fact that Ms. Argentina had never appeared on screen or stage before, she is breathtakingly effective in every shot, and the honest simplicity she contrasts to Aleandro's sophistication is a delight to observe. Absolutely recommended - the film is made with very apparent love for the woman, for Argentina and exquisite artistic taste and mastery. 10/10 from me.
NICO Beba is a wealthy divorced woman who is being gravely affected by the Argentine economy and therefore doesn't have enough money to even pay her maid. Dora, the maid, has been living with the family for thirty years and is torn between not wanting to leave Beba alone and needing a steady income. The pace of the movie is kind of slow as the plot is very simple and does not go beyond the regularities of the lives of the two main characters. However, the simplicity and regularity of the story is quite enjoyable as we are able to truly enter the lives of two very different women and identify the many differences between them. The director Jorge Gaggero shows us the way in which people's roles in a relationship can certainly change over time. Although Beba has been in charge of Dora for so long because of her economic status, when her status changes, Beba has nothing to hold over her and soon realizes how much she needs Dora. The movie explores economic class differences in Argentina through a very personal lens which in turn results in a very interesting and meaningful story.
lfeet Cama adentro is a no-action movie that seems slow at times, but does a fantastic job capturing a surprising bond between women and their pride in a time of separate struggles. This movie is similar to other Latin American films in that it depicts the reality of friendships, the relationship between a lady and her help and the down turning economy that forced many people during the 21st century to struggle between dignity and survival. The slow tone of the movie illustrates both woman's tough lives at the current time; it makes it seem like the maid has tried to quit for a long period of time before finally resigning and it emphasizes the number of unsuccessful days and attempts Beba makes to try get enough money to afford her loyal Dora: her maid and only companion. The slow tone is not a boring tone though, it spares us tedious insignificant details that other movies may take the time to include. Another factor that stresses the depressing situation without verbal description is the repetition of monotonous activities that the Beba is constantly bringing up which are her hopeless attempt to sell a beauty line, her constant need for whisky and her detached daughter that Beba is naively dependent on. Hitting the emotion part of the audience, Jorge Gaggero manages to combine a realistic and depressing situation with characters that are both lovable. Capturing certain facial expressions and character interaction along with the camera angles and the mood he produces we get a real sense of pain and hard times along with the final resolution of happiness.
rantchester This slow but involving human drama takes Argentina's recent economic meltdown as its prompt. Cama Adentro means 'live-in maid': Jorge Gaggero's sensitive film pursues the deep but uneasy relationship between the genteel, newly-impoverished Beba (Norma Aleandro) and Dora (Norma Argentina), the servant with whom she's shared her Buenos Aires apartment for almost 30 years.Sudden lack of money has flipped the pair's dependency. Unable to pay her maid for several months, lonely, prideful Beba stands to lose the only reliable company she's known (her daughter, like her husband, has previously departed - alienated, we're left to assume, by Beba's haughtiness). Dora, meanwhile, must decide whether to stay and assist her unravelling employer, or take her chances in an economy with fewer and fewer jobs.What could have become gooey and trite in the hands of a lesser director is instead rendered plausibly complex: the women struggle to preserve their dignity in straitened circumstances, and to forge a new accord based on mutuality rather than compulsion. Both Beba and Dora are endearingly flawed - the former supercilious and unyielding, the latter torn between contempt and sympathy for her former boss. Argentina is gruffly impressive as the emotionally-contained maid, while Aleandro's monstrous but piteous snob is an equally sharp portrayal. In Gaggero's measured telling, the pair's not-quite-friendship rings all the more true for being revealed with unsentimental compassion.