Today’s Video: “La Nana”

What happens when a veteran maid is forced to work with a younger counterpart? This is one of the questions raised in “La Nana” (“The Maid”), a Chilean film currently generating some buzz in U.S. indie film circles.

The movie is partly autobiographical claimed director Sebastián Silva who hated being bossed around in his youth by the family nanny. “My attitude was to says things like ‘Who do you think you are to tell me what to do?’” Silva said in one interview though he admitted to gradually changing his attitude. His admiration for the often unsung and occasionally exploitative profession was demonstrated with this film:

Earlier this year, Silva held a screening of the film in Santiago for some 300 maids, all part of a profession that doesn't seem to receive the attention or respect it deserves in the South American country.

"It was a touching, amazing screening," Silva says. "They were like crying, laughing. . . . They were extremely emotionally involved. The maids loved the film."

They weren't the only ones. "Even the president of Chile sent me a personal letter acknowledging the work of the women who are such an important link in Chilean society," Silva says.

“The Maid” won the World Cinema Jury Prize at Sundance and actress Catalina Saavedra’s performance as the drama’s protagonist has received high praise.

Please check out the trailer below of what appears to be one of the top films coming out of Latin America this year:

Online Sources- Heeb Magazine, New York Daily News, Los Angeles Times, Indiewire, YouTube