A woman becoming a live-in maid to a sweet family for the promise of a better life is intertwined in a forbidden, yet passionate, love affair with the husband. On paper, “The Housemaid” seems like your typical romance movie, but it’s really something deeper—and much gorier. Things are not always as they seem, and, though it’s not a 10/10 production, “The Housemaid” offers a harsh window into the unseen ugliness of domestic violence and abuse.
“The Housemaid” premiered in theaters on Dec. 19, 2025. Based on Frieda McFadden’s novel of the same name, it follows protagonist Millie Calloway (Sydney Sweeney). Nina (Amanda Seyfried) and Andrew Winchester (Brandon Sklenar) hire Calloway because of her impressive resume, which claims a college degree and experience as a maid. In reality, as the movie reveals early on, Millie is living in her car on parole, her past crime and time in prison unknown to the Winchesters or the audience.
When Nina Winchester is first introduced, she’s a typical blonde and bubbly suburban housewife who loves making everyone around her feel at home. She’s not only likable to the audience on first impression, but to Millie as well, to whom she offers both money for gas and a feast of charcuteries.
However, Millie’s first day on the job generates a very different perspective of her new employers. Their creepy groundskeeper, Enzo (Michele Marrone), seems to harbor a lot of resentment, fear and secrets. And the only daughter of the Winchesters, Cece (Indiana Elle), has a creepy dollhouse and sets many harsh rules that Millie must follow.
The creepiness doesn’t really amp up, though, until a few days later, when Nina has screaming fits in the middle of the night. She begins to lash out at Andrew and Millie.
Seyfried’s acting range is incredible. In a second, she flips from her tame housewife persona to the film’s most aggressive character, acting unpredictable and psychotic. When she confronts her family, screaming, with a knife in hand, Seyfried evokes genuine fear. But, through all, it is easy to see the complexity within her character.
Nina isn’t the only threat to Millie. As the story evolves, Millie and Andrew fall in love, though their romance is not entirely convincing because of the relatively small number of scenes that display in-depth conversation or chemistry between them. Soon, they are cheating on Nina, who seems to know everything. When the Winchesters’ marriage falls apart, the movie really begins to take a twist.
Up until this point, the creators clearly want the audience to build a hatred for Nina while presenting Andrew as a Prince Charming figure saving his new girlfriend from his crazy wife. Meanwhile, the women suspiciously begin to mold into very similar versions of one another.
However, when Nina, fed up, leaves Andrew, it’s finally revealed that this is an escape. Particularly satisfying is a scene where Nina dances around with a bottle of wine, swearing at Andrew, who is no longer the nice guy we thought him to be.
While this twist makes the movie exciting, a dull voiceover explains the backgrounds of Millie and Nina. “The Housemaid” shoves two complex stories about battling the patriarchy, sexual harassment and abuse into one poorly-written, five-minute scene. The film deserves the classic criticism: “Show, don’t tell.” But, alas, the writers tell us everything rather than let us figure it out ourselves. They seem to have forgotten the whole point of a mystery thriller.
The film’s depiction of abuse is powerful, though, and viewers realize the years of financial, physical and mental abuse Andrew subjected Nina to. It criticizes those who ask the uninformed question, “Why didn’t she just leave?”
The movie even dives into the patterns and cycles of abuse, as a quick comment from a smaller character, Andrew’s mother (Elizabeth Perkins), reveals the experiences that had transformed Andrew from the abused to the abuser.
But the creators should have treated Millie’s character as the supposed “badass” she was meant to be much earlier. Maybe it’s personal bias against Sweeney and her acting skills, but until the final 15 minutes of the film, Millie shows no grit or self-respect, just a desire to please Andrew because she finds him attractive.
In the end, though, justice is satisfyingly served. The women’s revenge definitely comes with a lot of gore and violence, so be prepared to squeeze your eyes shut if you hate blood. It’s satisfying to see the women finally free and thriving, and they go on to help other women who are stuck in the same position they had once been.
