Following Nicole Kidman’s “Babygirl,” another psychologically complex erotic thriller arrives at one of the fall festivals. Unspooling in the Discovery Section at the Toronto International Film Festival, the Argentine thriller “Linda” puts a sexy and mysterious maid inside a household where she wrecks emotional havoc with the family she’s serving. Immediately the tables are turned and her mystique attracts everyone and gives the upper hand. At the center of filmmaker’s Mariana Wainstein, is an alluring yet reserved performance from Eugenia “China” Suárez as the eponymous enigmatic beguiler.
Linda enters the story as a temporary replacement for an injured maid, who’s her cousin. This is a Buenos Aires family of four, equally divided by gender as mother, father, daughter and son. The minute each of them lays eyes on Linda, their whole body language shifts and it becomes crystal clear that they are transfixed. Sure she’s a gorgeous and beautiful woman – too beautiful to be a maid she’s told by more than one member of the family – but it’s the way she offhandedly cajoles them that makes her irresistible.
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The father Camilo (Rafael Spregelburd ) tries to impress her with his belongings; expensive wine and vintage furniture. She refuses most of his gifts and what she takes she does without acknowledgment or appreciation. She looks at him impassively showing no emotion despite knowing that he’s infatuated with her. With the teenage son, Ceferino (Felipe Otaño) she’s even more dismissive. She treats his clumsy attempts at seduction with utter contempt.
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Older sibling Matilda (Minerva Casero) has a boyfriend (Agustín Della), whom she quickly finds wanting in comparison to Linda. With her, Linda is more of a sensual charmer; gifting her a second-hand bikini and opening her eyes to a world beyond her sheltered life. Suárez’s interplay with all three actors is so riveting that the audience can’t help but find themselves part of these sexy games — perhaps as unsettled voyeurs.
However, Linda forms her deepest connection with the matriarch, Luisa (Julieta Cardinali). With Luisa, Linda is different. She’s more open, more forthcoming. She’s interested in Luisa. At the beginning it’s a tetchy relationship. Much is made of the maid uniform that Luisa asks her to wear but Linda never does. Little by little, Luisa thaws and sees in Linda an alternative to her stagnant life with her husband and children — three people who supposedly love her but never actually acknowledge what she does for them.
Suárez and Cardinali are electric together. The film reaches its apex sensuality in the moments that showcase their undeniable desire for each other. Their connection is almost animalistic as Linda sniffs Luisa sometimes, and feeds her at other times. Director Wainstein frames these two actors in generous medium shots that allow their whole bodies to relay their carnality. But beyond a physical connection, the screenplay, and especially the magnetic performances, hint at other expansive themes. These are two women constrained by systemic patriarchy and only with each other do they find sweet release for their frustrations.
In a later scene, the film reveals a mystical connection to the South American legend of Deolinda Correa, a woman revered for her perseverance in protecting her family. Wainstein, who also co-wrote the screenplay, puts a particularly modern spin on that legend. Instead of dying to save the family, Linda and Luisa gain strength from each other. In the end things may not have changed much from where they started. But the audience gleams how much Linda and Luisa affected each other. “Linda” is the best kind of thriller, one that forces its audience to maintain rapt attention, lest they miss a flicker from an actor or a camera cut away that illuminates the story.
