The Housemaid

The Housemaid follows Kim Dong-sik, a piano teacher who instructs young women at a textile factory. He moves his family into a larger home, and when his pregnant wife is overwhelmed by the housework and the sewing she does to help support them, he hires a housemaid. The young woman, Myeong-sook, is introduced through one of his pupils and joins the household. Before long she develops an obsessive attachment to Dong-sik, and the arrival of the maid unsettles the family's previously quiet life.

Kim Ki-young directed and wrote the screenplay, and produced the film with Kim Yeong-cheol. The cast includes Kim Jin-kyu as Dong-sik, Lee Eun-shim as the housemaid Oh Myeong-sook, Ju Jeung-nyeo as Mrs. Kim, Um Aing-ran as Cho Kyung-hee, Go Seon-ae as the factory matron and Gang Seok-je as a factory woman. Made in Korea and released in late 1960, it runs 112 minutes and blends crime and drama.

By the time of its release, Kim Ki-young had already built a body of work behind him, and this film became one of the titles most closely associated with him and with Korean cinema of that era. Its reputation has endured: on IMDb it holds a 7.2 average from around 6,600 votes, and on TMDB a 7.1 from roughly 200 votes. A critics' rating of 7.5 from five reviews places critical regard somewhat above the broader audience scores, though all three figures point to solid standing rather than unanimity.