The Asian and Asian American Filmmakers at Feirstein Graduate School of Cinema are hosting a screening of “The Housemaid,” a horror movie set on a 1950s rubber plantation in Vietnam during French colonial rule, followed by a Q&A with the director Derek Nguyen.
The screening will take place on Tues., March 19th, at 25 Washington Ave. (Feirstein School and Steiner Studios) at 6:30 p.m.; RSVP here (required due to high security on the Steiner film lot).
Elise Shin, the founder of AAAF and a second year producing student, organized the screening in support the group’s mission to showcase the work of local and international Asian filmmakers. The screenings “raise awareness of the Asian diaspora,” Shin said, adding that when it comes to the individual identity of Asian creators; “a lot of people lump us in together.”
The story draws from the life of Nguyen’s grandmother who worked as a housemaid in Vietnam. The NY Times describes the eerie hauntings that ensue on the stately farm of French officer, Sebatien.
When an orphan named Linh (Nhung Kate) joins his small house staff, she enters a terrifying world where creaks and whispers and vibrating strings follow her from room to room. Everyone, it seems, harbors shameful secrets, not least the house itself, where Sebastien’s wife and baby died and a wraithlike apparition flits and hovers.