Millie desperately needs to find a job. A young girl gets a position as a maid in the house of a wealthy woman slightly older than herself, and it seems like she has stumbled into a fairy tale: Nina appears friendly and generous, her husband is a gallant head of an IT company, and this is exactly the financial stability Millie needed.

But almost immediately after she starts working, Nina’s attitude toward the staff changes drastically. Paranoia, nervous breakdowns, memory problems… Millie is no longer sure she should have accepted the live-in position. Good thing at least Nina’s husband is surprisingly kind to her…

Gaslighting: The Movie  

Fun fact: Sydney Sweeney doesn’t undress in bad movies or TV shows. Don’t believe it? “Madame Web,” which is impossible to watch sober, on the one hand, and “The Omen: Immaculate,” “The White Lotus,” and “Euphoria” on the other—every single one of them excellent! Now “The Housemaid” joins the list: it has enough undressing scenes for a couple of films. And that’s not its only merit.

(Although it does have one significant flaw: no one dresses up as a maid in it. Outrageous!)

Sydney Sweeney plays a girl with a difficult past who is ready to do anything for a job. Millie is calm, hardworking, reserved. The perfect laconic protagonist—a blank slate that’s easy to relate to. You can’t say the same about Nina, played by Amanda Seyfried (you may have seen her in the ABBA-based musical series “Mamma Mia!”): she appears sweet one moment, bitchy the next, then frightened, then hysterical. A perfect reason to suspect bipolar disorder. Possibly justified—who can make sense of these rich people and their dirty secrets? And those strange pills… are they even sane?

“The Housemaid” is a fairly grounded mystery thriller with a hint of romance that takes the viewer from “What the hell is going on here?” to an energetic “Go girl, burn it down!” The story is very simple but self-contained (there are only three significant characters in the film) and is told from two perspectives, which adds interest and depth. It’s clear the story has a solid literary foundation (and it’s not limited to just one book, so don’t be surprised by news of a sequel getting the green light).

What I liked was the focus on portraying very unhealthy relationships in a hyperbolized way. Unfortunately, it’s a very real thing, instantly evoking sympathy and emotional involvement. We still don’t talk enough about abuse and the dark side of codependent relationships, which can manifest in any couple, even the seemingly healthiest ones. The fact that “The Housemaid” raises such issues under the mask of a tense, brutal, and at times irrationally amusing thriller is very valuable.

Technically, the film is excellently directed; Paul Feig has extensive experience creating films about vibrant female protagonists (you might recall “Ghostbusters,” the not-so-bad “Spy” with Melissa McCarthy, or the intriguing “A Simple Favor” with Blake Lively, for example). The production designers also deserve mention: Nina and Andrew Winchester’s house looks so stunning that you might even envy Millie. At least until you start noticing red flags here and there along with her.

The musical accompaniment shouldn’t be overlooked either: the film sounds like that top Netflix series that licensed as much popular music as it possibly could (including tracks by Queen Lana Del Rey and Taylor Swift, who was inescapable in 2025). The approach is a bit straightforward, but it works for the atmosphere—that can’t be denied.

Could someone dislike the film? Yes, probably. If you hold extremely conservative views and find it hard to watch women not in the kitchen but in leading and active roles fighting for minimal justice and basic human treatment—then yes, “The Housemaid” will most likely disappoint you. But I don’t think there are as many such people as the furious comments on social media might suggest.

So there you go. Always check which side the door to your new bedroom locks from, friends.

Rating: 7.7/10, an engaging film for the evening that raises sharp issues and answers them in a very satisfying way (“karma is a bitch!”). Sydney Sweeney and Amanda Seyfried make a great on-screen duo. Let’s get that second part already!

P.S. By the way, one more thing. The word “gaslighting” originated from a play and a 1940s film in which a husband secretly turned on a light in the attic; his wife noticed the change in brightness, but he convinced her she was silly and imagining things and that the gas lamps were shining just fine. Now you know the secret too! This was koriaginn.com educational, and this was the hundredth review on my website.

P.P.S. If you’re in the mood for something similar but in the sci-fi genre, you can watch “Companion”—it also touches on the theme of abuse and shattered expectations. Another recommendation is the already mentioned “Heretic”: it focuses on mind games and philosophical questions of faith, but genre-wise it’s very close to “The Housemaid.”