Philippine History lessons teach high school students about the pre-Hispanic times’ aliping namamahay (today’s version of the help who only come in during the day to do chores) and the aliping saguiguilid (the stay in help most homes have these days).
Household help in the Philippines had been called many names through several generations. The old Spanish-speaking rich referred to them as muchacha or muchacho. Those had been shortened to atsay and atsoy.
For decades starting in the mid-20th century, they were katulong or boy (from houseboy). From the late 1960s to the early 1970s, their wage was P30 a month or P1 a day. That was the time private school teachers were paid anywhere between P300-400 monthly.
The lot of the household help has improved in the past several years. From katulong (once also derisively called chimay), they are now called kasambahay. They have more rights, too. Aside from SSS benefits and 13th month pay, there is also a minimum pay scale for them.
And unlike in the past when a domestic servant cowers in fear just hearing the voice of the master, the employer is now the one scared of the help. This is due to the fact that they can easily find work elsewhere – abroad even where they get the chance to be paid in foreign currency.
Kylie Verzosa’s house help character in the new Filipino film The Housemaid does not have to seek greener pastures in another country. Here in the Philippines, she is offered a huge salary in the house of her rich masters, played by Albert Martinez and Louise de los Reyes.
This movie – now available on Vivamax – is a remake of two Korean dramas with the same title. The original film dates back to 1960. It was remade 50 years later and the updated version won honors for Korea in various international film festivals.
The plot of The Housemaid has been used in countless other films all over the world. It is about a housemaid who is seduced and impregnated by her master. In the Philippines alone, there are at least two other films that revolve around that situation.
There is Carlos Siguion-Reyna’s Abot-Kamay ang Pangarap that was inspired by a true-to-life story that came out in the Philippine Daily Inquirer. In this film, the boss, Tonton Gutierrez, gets the housemaid Maricel Soriano pregnant. When Maricel gives birth, the boss’ wife, Dina Bonnevie, goes to the hospital and the three main characters get into a melee. In the scuffle, the infant slips and is thrown out the window.
The late Mila Ocampo (Snooky Serna’s mom for the benefit of the young generation) also played a similar role in the omnibus sex drama, Isang Gabi sa Buhay ng Isang Babae, in 1975. The blockbuster film featured resigned Miss World Helen Morgan.
And, of course, there is Nora Aunor’s iconic film, Atsay.
Roman Perez, the director of the latest incarnation of The Housemaid, tries to explore if this plot line still works. It does because for as long as there are people in servitude, this kind of narrative will remain timeless.
There is one tiny bit of problem, however, in the Philippine adaptation: It’s too faithful to a fault. In the household of Albert, there are only two helpers. Aside from Kylie, there is only the mayordoma, Jaclyn Jose. There used to be a driver/bodyguard, but Kylie also gets to take over that job.
Hmm, maybe that scenario would work in Korea where the houses are not difficult to maintain because the environment is so much cleaner. But in the Philippines? Even in an exclusive subdivision, there is a need for daily cleaning and dusting. A full household staff is necessary to run a home as big as that one owned by Albert and Louise.
But no worries if the helper is Kylie. She is so skilled, she can do just about anything – from hand-washing undies to taking care of the masters’ eldest child, a girl already of school age. Oh, but isn’t Louise eventually giving birth to twins? No problem. Kylie signs up for that, too. What an amazing woman she is.
She obviously can work from day to night. Her nocturnal duties in time also gets to include being the sex toy of Albert. As expected, their illicit affair leads to ugly consequences.
The way The Housemaid unfolds on screen is not perfect. The seduction of Kylie, for instance, happens too abruptly. Of course, it may be argued that Kylie has some missing marbles in her head.
This is shown in the beginning where the viewers are told about the perverse pleasure she derives from seeing the lifeless bodies of people who commit suicide by hanging.
The director, of course, tries his best to patch up whatever loopholes there are in this film. If only the remedial measures are done with more fluidity.
The Housemaid, however, is still interesting to watch. Its strength comes mostly from the cast members. Alma Moreno as the scheming mother of Louise, for example, is given another opportunity to show to the viewing public how she has already transitioned into a very competent actress. Every scene in the film comes alive with her presence.
And then, there is Jaclyn Jose who delivers the best performance in The Housemaid. In the past few years, Jaclyn had been criticized for her one-note samba acting in some of her projects. But generally, she is and will always be acknowledged as one of the finest actresses in the movies.
Maybe she is just bored with some of the roles that come her way and resorts to camp acting just to get it over and done with. She is clearly inspired by her part in The Housemaid though.
For her role as the trusted head housekeeper, she creates a new persona. She initially attacks the part with restraint – until the time she rants near the climax where she assesses her never-changing status in life. Once a maid, always a maid. Never mind if she is already the mother of a newly-appointed prosecutor – a position arranged through the powerful connections of Albert.
This part of the film is another indication of the story’s misplaced faithfulness to the original material. Being a prosecutor is a big deal in Korea. But in the Philippines – very few are aware of its value in the judicial system.
Thanks, however, to Jaclyn’s heartfelt execution of the scene, the message about the irony of her place in society isn’t lost on the viewers. It is also her magnetic screen presence in the film that glues everything in The Housemaid.
As for Kylie, she gets an A for effort. She tries her best to deliver and succeeds in most parts. For a relative newcomer in the acting business, there is nothing embarrassing about her performance in this movie.
She actually has some very difficult scenes, especially those delicate parts where she exposes much of her skin. One has her looking like the image of Goya’s Nude Maja, except that she is on her belly – exposing her bare butt in the process. It is one of the most erotic moments in The Housemaid.
Some feminists may complain and call her out for allowing herself to be exploited in this film. Those parts where she bares a lot flesh, however, are integral to the plot and are necessary to establish her character.
Her scenes of nudity, undeniably, are also part of the film’s come-on. After all, it’s not in every other film that you see a Miss International naked.
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Source: Pinoy Ako News
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