When we travel, we often have long waits in airports between flights or in long flights, buses or train rides. When living abroad, sometimes we also long for some disconnection time and peace and quiet. Whether you're waiting for something or avoiding another, what better way to use this time than watching a movie, series or reading a book. So, for it, today I want to recommend one of the latest shows I've watched, the new Netflix's Maid.
And, well, we also want to help with that difficult task of deciding what to watch. Yes, we have all spent more time trying to decide what to watch than actually watching the movie, lol! Don't deny it. But don't worry, we're here for you.
What's Netflix's Maid?
Maid is a tv show based on the memories of Stephanie Land –if you are a bookworm like me, there is a book for you to read, too. Stephanie wrote these memories as a way to help others that may feel the same. "I want those invisible, forgotten people, and their stories, to come into the light. I want them to feel seen. I want people to see them," she wrote.
The book, released in 2019, was praised by the New York Times and Forbes magazine, even was included in the 2019 Summer Reading List of former president Barack Obama. He describes it as "A single mother's personal, unflinching look at America's class divide, a description of the tightrope many families walk just to get by, and a reminder of the dignity of all work."
I guess by now, you kind of have an idea about what Maid is about. Don't worry, I'm not going to go into many details, so I don't spoil it for you. But, I will tell you this is a story of resilience, of a young woman and her need to provide the basic needs for her child. The way the show is made brings a sensitive topic to light as, sadly, she is also immersed in an abusive relationship (substance and emotional abuse), and she doesn't have the support of her family.
The story shows you how it is to live under the poverty line and have to rely on welfare support, even though she sometimes struggles to prove how poor she is. All while trying to escape an abusive boyfriend, having to take her daughter to a homeless shelter –and even having to sleep on the floor of a dock– and not having money to afford food.
In regards to the cast, Margaret Qualley interprets Alex, our main character ( perhaps you remember her from "The leftovers", "Fosse/Verdon", or "Once upon a time in Hollywood). Her mother is played by the amazing Andie Macdowell (you remember her from "4 weddings and a funeral", "Groundhog Day", and "Love after love"). Fun fact: they are mother and daughter in real life.
Billy Burke plays the role of her father (Bella's dad in Twilight Saga); Nick Robinsons (Simon in "Love, Simon") is Alex's boyfriend; Anika Noni Rose ("The princess and the frog" from Disney and "Dream Girls") is Regina, one of Alex's wealthy clients; and Tracy Vilar ( from the sitcom "Partners" and "The Steve Harvey Show") is Yolanda, Alex's boss.
See Maid too see yourself
I personally believe this tv series shows you a reflection of a moment in your life. We all have struggled one way or another, maybe financially or emotionally. However, we still manage to find that little flame that keeps us going.
She also talks about the lives of the families she works for, and her attitude towards them is where it gets interesting for me. We never know what is happening in someone else's life, but we can quickly create an opinion on the surface, right? Well, not her. She sees them with kindness and manages to see their real lives, going past their different lives. She works for wealthy families that, you might assume, have everything, but no, they lack so many important things in their lives (money isn't all, peeps!). And at the end of the day, we never know who is helping who.
This show encourages us to keep going, even when it feels so hard, even when we think that we are not going to make it no matter how hard we work. Because yes! We are going to make it. Even if we take a few steps back or to the side. It's normal and totally valid to have moments when we put our arms down when we feel lost; sometimes, we need to lose ourselves to find ourselves and our path.
But we can always find strength somewhere or with the help of someone. So don't be afraid to ask for help to keep going. An also, don't be hesitant to offer help when you can. Make time to look at the other side of the mirror, to understand that there is so much more beneath the surface. That even those "shiny happy people" also have their moments, and they need us.
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