Review: Linda (2024)

In this Argentinian drama film we get a refreshing twist on the latin-american maid-movie trope. We follow Linda, played by China Suárez, who gets a job as a maid to substitute for her cousin who can’t work due to a broken arm and leg. She is introduced to the house and family by the seemingly tired mother/wife Luisa (Julieta Cardinali). There’s the teenage son Ceferino or Cefe (Felipe Gonzalez Otaño) who’s in a “complicated age”, the daughter Matilda or Mati (Minerva Casero) with her boyfriend and the father/husband Camilo played by Rafael Spregelburd. Their family dynamic is disrupted by the arrival of stunningly beautiful Linda. How will this go at Lusia and Camilo’s 25 year wedding anniversary?

This is where I get to spoiler territory, so if you don’t wanna know exactly what happens feel free to skip this part! So, this movie subverts the latin-american maid-trope in several ways. But first, what is that trope? This isn’t quite a genre, but has quite a defined collection of films, most famous being “La nana”, a 2009 movie by director Sebastián Silva[1]. These films typically show a poor woman who works for a rich high-class family for very little pay who is often subject to sexual attention from the husband character. In Linda however, Linda is not from a poor background, she has agency in the movie and although she receives sexual attention from multiple of the family members, she is the one who initiates it. Not only is Linda the one to initiate, but she also engages with Luisa rather than Camilo, subverting heteronormative expectations. We also see other queer tendencies when Matilda masturbates to the thought of Linda before breaking up with her boyfriend. Another interesting subversion is how Linda doesn’t respond do Camilos advances, so he ends up jerking off to a chair.

In general this was an enjoyable movie. Not a lot happens, but that’s fine! It’s all about the dynamics between the characters and how the drama plays out. The movie had a lot of sensual themes without ever getting (porno)graphic, no more than making out at least. It plays well with social class and subversion of tropes, making for an interesting watch. The visuals are also very pleasant, nothing fancy, just plain nice.