Paul Feig’s The Housemaid delivers a shocking mid-film twist that completely reframes the narrative, revealing Amanda Seyfried’s Nina as the true heroine and Brandon Sklenar’s Andrew as a sadistic psychopath in a thriller that subverts audience expectations at every turn.
Warning: Major spoilers for The Housemaid follow.
Paul Feig’s latest film, The Housemaid, represents a masterclass in psychological thriller storytelling, carefully constructing a narrative that makes audiences root for all the wrong characters before pulling the rug out from under them with a devastating twist. The film, based on Freida McFadden’s bestselling 2022 novel, follows Millie (Sydney Sweeney), a recently paroled felon who takes a job as a live-in housekeeper for the wealthy Winchester family.
The Setup: Deception and Misdirection
For the first hour of the film, Feig expertly manipulates audience sympathy. We’re led to believe that Nina Winchester (Amanda Seyfried) is an unstable, jealous wife who torments Millie for no apparent reason. Meanwhile, Andrew Winchester (Brandon Sklenar) appears as the perfect husband—charming, kind, and seemingly trapped in a difficult marriage.
The foundation of this deception rests on several key revelations:
- Millie’s criminal past involves killing a boy who was assaulting her roommate
- Nina’s history includes time in a psychiatric facility after an alleged suicide attempt
- Andrew positions himself as Nina’s savior while subtly undermining her at every turn
The tension escalates when Andrew and Millie begin an affair, culminating in Andrew kicking Nina out of their home. At this point, most viewers are firmly on Team Millie and Andrew—exactly where Feig wants them.
The Twist: Andrew’s True Nature Revealed
The film’s central twist occurs when Andrew locks Millie in the attic room and demands she carve 21 cuts into her stomach with a piece of broken china—one cut for each fragment the plate shattered into. This moment completely reframes everything that came before it.
As Nina explains upon her return, Andrew has been systematically abusing her throughout their marriage, locking her in the attic for minor infractions and forcing her to perform degrading tasks. The suicide attempt was actually Andrew drugging Nina and staging the scene to make her appear unstable.
Nina’s erratic behavior toward Millie was actually part of an elaborate plan to make Andrew leave her. She specifically hired Millie because she recognized her as exactly the type of vulnerable young woman Andrew would target—and because she knew Millie had the capability to fight back when pushed to her limits.
The Final Confrontation and Resolution
The third act features several significant departures from the source material that enhance the cinematic experience. After Millie carves the required cuts into her stomach, she turns the tables on Andrew, stabbing him in the neck and locking him in the attic. When Nina returns to free Millie, she accidentally releases Andrew, leading to a final confrontation on the staircase.
Key differences from the book include:
- Millie pushes Andrew to his death rather than him dying of dehydration
- The police investigator is changed to a woman whose sister was engaged to Andrew
- The final scene establishes Millie as continuing Nina’s mission to help abused women
Paul Feig told The Hollywood Reporter that these changes were intentional: “There’s things that work in the book that are really satisfying, but on the big screen you always want more. No spoilers, but there are relationships I wanted to have a final button on and so we were able to do that.”
Why The Twist Works So Effectively
The success of The Housemaid‘s narrative structure lies in Feig’s understanding of audience psychology. As he explained to Den of Geek, “What I loved about the idea of the script and the book is getting to spend a solid hour making the audience root for everything they should not be rooting for. And then going, ‘Okay, that’s what you wanted and are happy about? Well guess what, here’s the real story!'”
The film joins the ranks of successful domestic thrillers like Gone Girl that subvert traditional gender dynamics and audience expectations. By making the audience complicit in rooting for the abuser, Feig creates a more profound sense of shock and reflection when the truth is revealed.
Franchise Potential and Future Adaptations
The ending leaves the door open for potential sequels, as Freida McFadden’s novel is the first in a trilogy. Feig has expressed interest in continuing Millie’s story if the film performs well commercially.
“If people show up and see it,” Feig told The Hollywood Reporter, “I would love to see what Millie does next.” This potential for future installments adds an extra layer of significance to the film’s conclusion, which establishes Millie as a sort of vigilante savior for abused women.
The final scene, where Millie accepts a new position with another abused woman, completes her character arc from victim to empowered agent of change—a satisfying conclusion that also sets up compelling possibilities for future stories.
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