The Quiet Maid

27th Black Nights Film Festival

Spain. Not the usual, but the opulent Costa Brava. Where the blue sky above is covered with clouds of crypto – money that doesn't stink.

Ana from Colombia takes up a servant job in an art collector's luxury villa. Her days are filled with the blunt murmur of discontent, promises of better working conditions that have lost all credibility in their emptiness, and refreshing puffs of smoke secretly shared with the neighbouring house's servant Gisela. The impeccably inconspicuous everyday life of Ana is increasingly ignited by the sampling of the lavishly rich lifestyle that surrounds her. The first taste of luxury, status, and power is so exhilarating that getting caught is only a matter of time. In a few days, the seemingly ordinary villa turns into a rabbit hole and from its depths, Ana finds the courage to create chaos instead of order. The result is a brilliantly immersive journey full of unexpected twists and a delightfully delinquent Ana.

In 2021, Variety selected the director Miguel Faus as one of the ten Spanish filmmakers to watch. With good reason. “The Quiet Maid” is fresh, convincing, and strong with a great pace and plot. “The Quiet Maid” is also the first European feature film to finance itself by selling NFTs and subsequently win the Steven Soderbergh Foundation Grand Prize at the Sundance Film Festival.

Elise Jagomägi