The Housewife Review
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The Banality of Evil’s Blandest Face
In a year filled with yet another Holocaust movie, it’s surprising that filmmakers continue to approach this subject matter with such reverence and predictability. Subtlety and nuance are often sacrificed for drama and spectacle in this genre, making The Housewife stand out only for its lack of distinction.
Based on a true story, the film follows Hermine, an Austrian-born woman living in Queens, New York, with her American husband and immaculately manicured suburban home. Naomi Watts’s portrayal of Hermine is expertly crafted, but beneath this façade lies a character that feels more like a caricature than a fully fleshed-out person. When ambitious journalist Joseph receives a tip about a Nazi living in the city, he sets out to uncover the truth and discovers that Hermine is not what she seems.
The film’s failure to find a compelling narrative thread is striking. The Housewife veers wildly between a domestic psycho-thriller and a plodding procedural, never quite committing to either tone or style. Watts struggles to find her footing in this inconsistent script, delivering performances that feel like they’re competing for the most dramatic “reveal” rather than genuine emotional resonance.
A comparison can be drawn with The Reader, but while Kate Winslet’s performance nailed an unshakeable oddness, Naomi Watts falls short. It’s not just a matter of tone or acting; The Housewife is a film that knows exactly what it wants to say – even if it doesn’t quite manage to get there.
A Subgenre Saturated with Clichés
In recent years, the Holocaust movie has become a staple of awards season. This oversaturation has led to a sense of familiarity, where every story feels like a rehashing of familiar tropes and themes. Filmmakers seem content with playing by the rules, delivering period immersion that prioritizes aesthetics over actual historical context.
The script, penned by Alyssa Hill, toys with interesting questions of complicity and forgiveness but ultimately settles for a shallow exploration of themes that feel all too familiar. The film’s failure to delve deeper into these complex issues is a missed opportunity to add depth to the subgenre.
The Banality of Evil in the Suburbs
Shirinian’s introductory speech at the Toronto film festival premiere suggested that he aimed to explore how the worst behavior can often be found in the most unassuming packaging. However, this is precisely where The Housewife falls short – it presents us with a Nazi living in the suburbs but one that feels more like a cartoonish villain than a multidimensional human being.
As we continue to grapple with the legacy of the Holocaust and its relevance to contemporary society, filmmakers would do well to take a step back from this tried-and-true formula. The Housewife may be premiering at Toronto, but it’s clear that this is a film that will not be remembered for much longer than its fleeting festival run.
Ultimately, The Housewife stands as a reminder of just how far we still have to go in creating Holocaust movies that truly resonate with audiences.
Reader Views
- MTMarko T. · expedition guide
The proliferation of Holocaust movies has indeed led to a reliance on tired tropes and clichés, but I'd argue that's also due in part to the difficulty of tackling such a sensitive subject matter. By focusing solely on the "other" – the Nazi living incognito, for example – we overlook the complexities of complicity within our own ranks, where neighbors and colleagues might be harboring secrets just as dark. This nuance is precisely what's missing from films like **The Housewife**, which should instead prompt us to confront our own proximity to evil.
- TTThe Trail Desk · editorial
The Holocaust movie genre has become so overwrought that it's starting to feel like a hollow exercise in nostalgia rather than genuine storytelling. While The Housewife attempts to shake things up by focusing on the mundane life of an Austrian housewife living in Queens, it ultimately falls back on familiar tropes and conventions. One aspect worth exploring further is the impact of this oversaturation on our collective understanding of historical trauma – are we more likely to forget the complexities of the Holocaust when it's reduced to a familiar, clichéd narrative?
- JHJess H. · thru-hiker
The Holocaust subgenre has become a tired exercise in clichés. We're so accustomed to seeing Nazi sympathizers masquerading as All-American homemakers that even Naomi Watts's solid performance can't shake off the feeling of familiarity. But I'd argue that this oversaturation isn't just about tone or acting – it's also a symptom of a larger problem: our collective inability to imagine complicity beyond the familiar tropes. What if Hermine was a working-class immigrant, not a middle-class homemaker? What if her involvement with the Nazi party wasn't about ideological fervor, but economic desperation? The possibilities for nuanced storytelling are endless, and yet we keep retreading the same worn paths.