“It’s not like it’s for life.”
Middle-aged Parisian Jacques (Jean-Pierre Bacri) is recently divorced. The film begins with Jacques waking up in his apartment. The place is a mess–unwashed dishes, piles of clothing, and Jacques–even in his depressed state can’t stand it anymore. He sees an advertisement for a housecleaner, so he gets the number, calls and arranges an interview. A young girl, Laura (Emilie Dequenne) applies and confesses that she’s new at this, but Jacques doesn’t care, and he promptly employs Laura. The plan is that she’ll come one day a week while he’s at work, but soon Jacques arranges for more hours. Apparently, Laura has money problems, and tearfully confesses she has nowhere to live.
The Housekeeper charts the gradual shift in the relationship between Jacques and Laura. She appears docile and pliant, and she very quickly adapts to Jacques’ pickier requests regarding housework. She seems a little too good-to-be-true–especially when she makes statements about how much she loves to clean. It’s a tactic that works, however, and soon, she’s fully ingratiated into Jacques’ life, and it’s not too long before she’s sharing his bed.
The fun begins when Jacques takes Laura on holiday to Brittany. Previously, there have been a few signs of trouble in paradise. Jacques wants to listen to classical music, for example, and Laura’s music blares his out-of-existence. But the real troubles begin on holiday. Laura, who’s wheedled her way into Jacques’ life and is now working on conquering his heart, begins to show a different side of her character. A Hollywood film would center on the sensual, titillating delights of the older man-younger woman relationship. Director Claude Berri, however, chooses to concentrate on the subtle conflicts that leave our hero–Jacques–a much wiser man at the end of the film. The Housekeeper is a pleasant surprise, and its light funny romance turns into wry, amusing reality. Watch for director Catherine Breillat who appears in a small role as Jacques’ ex-wife Constance. In French with English subtitles.
