THE HOUSEMAID (1960) Film Screening
Sunday 30. November at 15:00 - 16:50
FOMO Secret Cinema, Tbilisi
Kim Ki-young | 1960 | South Korea | 111 minutes
Presented in the original Korean audio with English subtitles.
THE HOUSEMAID is screening at FOMO Secret Cinema as part of our "Banned Films Festival" presenting films from across the globe that have been subject to censorship.
THE HOUSEMAID helped shape modern Korean cinema. Its influence can be felt in directors like Bong Joon-ho, Park Chan-wook, and Kim Jee-woon, who have cited it as a foundational work. The film’s examination of class, desire, and domestic fragility remains relevant, making it one of the great achievements in Asian cinema.
THE HOUSEMAID faced pressure from South Korean censors. Korean film regulations were very strict and heavily moralistic. Stories involving adultery, domestic corruption, or threats to traditional family values were often targeted. Certain scenes were softened, and future broadcasts were restricted, which kept the film from reaching wider audiences for years.
Kim Ki-young creates a tense and claustrophobic atmosphere, using tight framing and sharp interior blocking to build psychological pressure. The performances are controlled and layered, and the home setting becomes increasingly unstable as the story unfolds. The film’s slow escalation gives it enduring power, showing a director at the height of intuitive visual storytelling.
Location: FOMO Secret Cinema, Bazari Orbeliani, Tbilisi. A five-minute walk from Liberty Square metro.
How to find FOMO: Enter the Bazari via Atoneli St, above Carrefour, and take the stairs immediately on your left behind the jewellery stand. The cinema entrance is one flight up in the stairwell.
FOMO Secret Cinema • Bazari Orbeliani, 0105 Tbilisi, Georgia
