Clever title.

Sebastian Silva’s 2009 film “La Nana,” – or “The Maid,” for you non-Spanish speaking readers – is an awkwardly humorous drama that explores the life of an aging housekeeper that’s lost touch with the outside world. The picture opens on Raquel’s 41st birthday, which she accepts with a stern stiffness, receiving gifts and smiling with all of the enthusiasm of a stick figure (Ahem...) It is clear from the outset that she finds little to be happy about, and while she loathes her position, it is the only comfort she knows. And so Raquel paces the house and takes after children that she considers her own, making no verbal complaints and opts instead for the passive-aggressive route. In addition to doing the dishes and laundry, she takes it upon herself to tattle on the masturbatory habits of the son and terrorize the eldest daughter’s study-induced slumber. Needless to say, this creates some tension amongst the family members, which in turn causes more problems for Raquel, etc. etc. Making life hell for everybody proves to be too much and eventually Raquel collapses, turning herself into a heap of exhaustion. Then - although she’s been rotten to her adopted family - they hire on some new help that’s sure to relieve some of her stress. Instead of welcoming some much-needed relaxation, she retaliates by insisting her health and making life hell for each of the new maids. I could say that she finds a metaphor for her life by repeatedly locking every maid outside and turning a deaf ear to their cries from the garden, but I don’t think this movie calls for any of that. Really, all Raquel looks for during the first half of this film is a friend; not a child that she can admire or an employer, but a friend with whom she can share even the simplest of conversations that don’t revolve around the dirty clothes or the placement of pans. She finds this in the third maid, Lucy, who forces her kindness (/nudity) and refuses to be turned away by Raquel’s desires to eat alone. The two grow closer as the film comes to an end, and Raquel begins to take steps to ensure her own happiness.

The film is somewhat touching and lighthearted, but doesn’t offer many layers. It’s much more of a comedy than it is a dramatic piece, and I think the advertisement for this film suggests otherwise. The title – while appropriate – is slightly cryptic, as is the trailer that accompanies it. With dark color schemes and increasingly malicious behavior that’s riddled with a subtle kind of humor that’s anything but overt, I was expecting to be caught off guard by violence. This never comes though, and I suppose that’s a good thing. It’s the kind of movie that a person can laugh at and enjoy in the moment, but probably won’t seek out to view multiple times. I don’t think any of the content warrants or necessitates that. Raquel’s character is easily digested; she’s a hard-nosed bitch that has been stuck inside another family's home for so long that she is apt to avoid cordiality and the bright colors of the world outside. She is certainly well rounded; though her mindset is static, her character is not. She changes throughout the course of the feature, and we finally see her loosen up and find a comfortable rhythm during the last minutes of the movie. Many of the others who are introduced are left to stand on their own with only a few lines or camera shots, however. It’s not that these characters are wholly under-developed, it’s just that maybe their numbers are too great. Clearly this suggests that Raquel is inundated with a flood of people, but maybe it’s too much for the audience. I wasn’t put off necessarily, but only the four characters I mentioned had any real effect on me.

Verdict: Stoked with a lowercase "s." This has got a high rating on IMDb, and I can see why: it is a quality film with interesting characters and an unconventional shooting style. It’s funny and surprising and the casting was wonderful, even with the younger actors. As a whole film, though, "La Nana" is mostly surface and doesn’t offer anything you’ll need to ponder for hours on end.

Crystal Meth Tweakers (Spoilers ahead):

I’m told I missed something in Werner Herzog’s rendition of "The Bad Lieutenant (2009)". A friend said that all of his other films have quirky, weirdly humorous parts that seem out of place but aren’t, and I’m willing to accept that. I was certainly entertained by this film and never once did I find myself dozing off or wondering what was going on in the other parts of the theater. In that sense, the film is an achievement. But I’m just not sure how great of a film it is otherwise; is it fine cinema or just pulp?

The primary issue with this film is that the conflict seems to be detached and insignificant; it comes into play only in the last ten minutes (which are phenomenal). This is because everything comes so easily to Nicolas Cage’s character, Terence McDonagh. That is not to say that no problems arise during the course of the film. McDonagh is plagued with back pain that causes him to seek out prescription and illegal drugs, both of which he abuses. He’s also forced to deal with an alcoholic father and a prostitute girlfriend who gets him in debt with some scumbags. To top it all off, he’s a raging gambling addict who cannot control himself, feeling sure that his next big win is one game away despite his horrible track record. For a normally functioning human being, this might seem like a downward spiral, but McDonagh seems completely unaffected by all of it. He remains calm and scheming throughout, and maybe that’s what Herzog’s message is: the junkie’s only real concern is his next score, and if everything falls to pieces around him, then so be it. Still – I’m not sure, in a cinematic sense – if I buy into this. By making any real conflict unimportant, Herzog fails to create a sense of tension and drama. In other films about junkies, like Danny Boyle’s masterpiece, "Trainspotting (1996)", there absolutely is a sense of fear and dread; we sympathize with the protagonist and cringe when he’s in the grips of his withdrawal-induced hallucinations. However, with Bad Lieutenant, there’s never a point where things don’t seem like they’re going to work out. It’s as if we’re watching an addict’s humorous and absurd dance with indifference, but the picture is out of focus. We can’t see whom we are watching and so we don’t know why we should care. In the end, it all works out just as McDonagh had apparently planned; every character with whom he is even remotely at odds comes crawling at his feet, rejoicing over the wonderful things he has done.

On the last few minutes: Flawed as the film which precedes them may be, the last two scenes of this film, which show us McDonagh before a table of cocaine and then at an aquarium, are brilliant. Pressed against a tank filled with sharks, he laughs at himself and the film goes black; it’s all some sort of sick, inescapable joke to the lieutenant. These last two scenes are the heart of the conflict – we see that Terrence will never change and that’s all there is to it. It’s tragic here but nowhere else – and if so, only in retrospect.

Verdict: Almost Stoked. The more I think about it, the more I liked this movie. I would watch it again if only because I feel that there are some things I probably missed as my friend has suggested. What I don’t need to see again is the lingering and drawn out shots of the different reptiles with which McDonagh shares a tweaked-out connection.