Gianina works as a housekeeper for an affluent family in Bordeaux. One of many Romanian women who have moved to France in search of better economic prospects, she keeps their sprawling home in order, cooks her employers’ favourite Thai dishes and looks after their unruly young son. In the evenings, she rehearses an experimental stage adaptation of The Diary of a Chambermaid and speaks by video call with her own daughter, who remains in a small Romanian town. The latest satire from Romanian provocateur Radu Jude loosely reimagines Octave Mirbeau’s novel, previously brought to the screen by masters including Jean Renoir and Luis Buñuel. This time, the ever-provocative filmmaker adopts a more melancholic, realist register, casting a gentle and empathetic eye over the often absurd lives of migrant workers. The film premiered in Directors’ Fortnight at Cannes.
