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For 23 years Raquel (Catalina Saavedra) has been maid to an affluent Santiago family.

Taciturn and efficent, she rules the household with stubborn tenacity. But when it’s suggested another woman might be brought in to help, that’s a declaration of war.

Creepy details (family photos with certain faces scratched out) suggest we’re heading into slasher territory.

But then Chilean writer/director Sebastián Silva pulls off a wholly unpredictable turnaround that, along with Saavedra’s tour de force performance, allows The Maid to emerge a perceptive, empathetic character piece.