The Housemaid: The Price of Control
The Housemaid, adapted from Freida McFadden’s bestselling novel, just premiered in theaters, and it already has viewers talking. The story follows Millie Calloway, a woman trying to get her life together after a troubled past, who takes a job as a live-in housemaid for the wealthy Winchester family.
What Millie thinks will be a fresh start quickly turns out to be anything but. She soon learns the home isn’t as safe as it seems, and what starts as an opportunity slowly becomes tense and unsettling.
In the movie, Millie begins working closely with Nina and Andrew Winchester, but it doesn’t take long for her to notice that something feels off about the couple. At first, Andrew seems calm and welcoming, almost like the kind of person you would trust, but as time goes on, his motives get murkier and Millie starts seeing a darker and more controlling side to him.
Nina, meanwhile, acts unpredictably , with sudden emotional swings that make Millie feel uneasy. She yells at Millie over small mistakes, gives confusing instructions, and after it all retreats into silence, always leaving Millie unsure of what’s going on with her.
With Andrew’s controlling behavior and Nina’s emotional extremes, Millie can never tell what is safe or what could trigger trouble, keeping the tension high throughout her time in the house.
“Honestly, this movie’s dynamic reminded me of how sometimes in class, one kid breaks a rule, but the teacher punishes the whole class. Kids who were good still got in trouble. It just feels unfair because they didn’t do anything wrong. It’s wild how people in charge can make things feel impossible, and it made me think more about fairness in everyday life,” said sophomore Sujaila Rivera.
Watching the movie makes it clear just how much control and manipulation can affect someone. Andrew constantly uses his position to influence what happens in the house, hiding Nina’s unpredictable behavior and making her feel like she can’t speak up or trust what she sees. The movie really shows how people in power can create situations that feel almost impossible to escape, and it makes you think about how unfair behaviour can look in real life too.
Daniel Martinez, a junior, shares how the movie made him think about how people react to unfair situations by sharing,“I think a lot of it can be tied back to the bystander effect. Many people assume a situation is safe because they may or may not think that they can actually change whatever is going on in this situation. Kind of like ‘blissful ignorance.’”
Since its release, The Housemaid has earned around 72% Tomatometer score on Rotten Tomatoes from critics, who praised the movie for its twists and actors’ performances, while the audience ratings are even higher, with 92% Popcornmeter score. On social media platforms like TikTok , fans are sharing their reactions to the movie’s twist, with some even joking about moments and how they will never take things in their life for granted.
Overall, The Housemaid isn’t just a thriller, it’s a story that makes you think about the ways people can be controlled, manipulated, or trapped by others. The tension in the house and unpredictability all highlight how easily someone can be put in a situation that feels impossible to escape. Between the twists in the story and the real life themes, the movie is perfect for anyone who loves suspense with uncover awareness.
