By Mark Saldana
Rating: 3 (Out of 4 Stars)
Part psychological thriller and part soap opera, The Maid’s Room does offer suspense, tension and some unexpected twists, but some of the beats play out a bit too cheesy for its own good. Nevertheless, the talented cast manages to maintain some gravity to their story, making it an absorbing and entertaining movie.
In this film by writer/director Michael Walker, Paula Garcés portrays Drina, an immigrant housekeeper hired by the wealthy Crawford family to keep their weekend home in the Hamptons clean and tidy. What at first sounds like an easy and stress free job turns into anything but that. When Drina becomes a witness to key evidence implicating the Crawford’s son Brandon (Phillip Ettinger) of a horrendous and tragic crime, she is faced with the moral decision of supporting the family and their cover up or doing the right thing and reporting Brandon to the police.
In addition to Garcés who performs well in her role, Phillip Ettinger does a fine job portraying the morally conflicted Brandon Crawford who wants to turn himself in to the authorities, but is forced by his parents to cover up his involvement. Annabella Sciora portrays Brandon’s mother, who can be really sweet, but can turn wicked when her son or family are threatened. In an even more wicked and twisted role, Bill Camp plays Mr. Crawford as a cold, calculating and malevolent man who is willing to commit any evil deed necessary to protect his son and family’s name.
Despite some of the hackneyed moments in the movie, Michael Walker’s movie does work mostly effectively, delivering chills and excitement. The movie is definitely worth a viewing as a matinee or rental.