Sydney Sweeney's 'The Housemaid' Invites Inevitable Comparison to Park Chan‑wook's 'The Handmaiden'

With 'The Housemaid,' a psychological thriller based on the best-selling book by Freida McFadden, Sydney Sweeney is venturing into more sinister territory. Early responses draw focus on strange parallels to Park Chan-wook's 2016 masterwork 'The Handmaiden' as the December 2025 release date draws near. 

Audiences are already assessing how Sweeney's acting and the film's structure mirror—or deviate from—Korean cinema's vast psychological drama, which ranges from tangled loyalties to sensual tension and secret motives.

The Housemaid: Sweeney's Role, Plot & Release

Sydney Sweeney plays Millie Calloway in 'The Housemaid,' a character who takes a job as a housemaid in the wealthy Winchester family. As Millie gets settled in, she starts to suspect that Nina (Amanda Seyfried) and her husband Andrew (Brandon Sklenar), who hired her, are concealing sinister secrets. 

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According to the official information, Lionsgate plans to release the movie in theaters across the United States on 19th December. Even author Freida McFadden has praised the adaptation, saying that after an early viewing, she thought the film was "better than the book." She especially praised the performers for their handling of the novel's gruesome parts.

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Check out the trailer: 

Paul Feig is directing the movie, which is an unexpected departure from his typical humorous work and into the realm of gothic thrillers. McFadden, who is also an executive producer, has been excited by how the adaptation maintains the tone and suspense of the original work.

Echoes of The Handmaiden: Why the Comparison?

'The Housemaid' and Park Chan-wook's 'The Handmaiden' have previously been clearly compared by observers, not only due to their similar titles but also because both tales examine treachery, closeness, power, and deceit in a cramped home environment. 

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Based on Sarah Waters' Fingersmith, 'c' (2016) is a psychological thriller from South Korea that takes place in Japanese-occupied Korea in the 1930s. The plot centers on Sook-hee, a pickpocket who is employed as Lady Hideko's handmaiden and aids a con artist in his plan to woo her, marry her, imprison her in an asylum, and steal her wealth. However, as the movie progresses, alliances change, secrets come to light, and Sook-hee and Hideko form a bond that makes the initial scam more difficult.

'The Handmaiden' has become a standard in psychological storytelling because of its complex narrative structure and the powerful interplay of power, gender, desire, and treachery. Critics are observing whether Sweeney's Millie would emulate Sook-hee's moral ambiguity or forge an own route in her own tormented home life in 'The Housemaid.' Sweeney's acting is being praised for finding a mix between calm resolve and sensitivity. 

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She appears to be conscious of the pressure to compare in interviews and early publicity, but she is determined to personalize Millie's path. Whether 'The Housemaid' will engage in dialogue with 'The Handmaiden'—or even confront it—or if the echoes will overpower its distinct narrative is the question that looms large.

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