I've been waiting for this movie to be released since I know some people who took part of the movie. And the movie is a product of one of my most respected Korean film directors, Im Sangsoo. The movie definitely had this "Housemaid" feel, also one of Im's lauded films in the international arena.
Synopsis (Asian Wiki)
"The Taste of Money" deals with the world of the wealthiest of "Chaebul" families and their desires, love, hatred, sex and murder ... Young-Jak (Kim Kang-Woo) has worked for CEO Yoon (Baek Yun-Shik) for the past 10 years. He graduated from a prestigious university, but beckons at the call of CEO Yoon everyday. (check trailer below)
CEO Yoon is married to Baek Geum-Ok (Yoon Yeo-Jung), the daughter of the wealthiest man in Korea. They have a daughter Na-Mi (Kim Hyo-Jin) and a son Cheol (On Joo-Wan). Due to their extreme wealth, the family wields virtually unlimited power in Korea. Their daughter Na-Mi is the only person that disagrees with her family's actions.
Meanwhile, CEO Yoon did not marry Geum-Ok because of love, but rather because of her wealth. For virtually his entire life he has worked for Geum-Ok and her father. Throughout this time, CEO Yoon has felt humiliated. Now, CEO Yoon wants to leave Geum-Ok and her family. Yoon is in love with their Filipino housemaid Eva (Maui Taylor) and wants to spend the rest of his life with her. Geum-Ok has no doubt that she will have her husband back.
After CEO Yoon leaves, Young-Jak takes over his role in the family. He too soon becomes addicted to the taste of money ...
I personally like how the movie was made. The casting is perfect, lines are superb and I like the representations made in the movie. Although some people, may have a problem with how the Filipina maid was portrayed. The role by the way was played by a Filipina actress, Maui Taylor. She relatively had a lot of flesh exposures in the movie too and her acting was good. The casts perfectly portrayed their roles and if you understand Korean well, I'm sure you'll find the lines more interesting. The cinematography is smooth. I like how the shots and angles were carefully decided and I think the editing is flawless too. I wish I can be as good as them. Another interesting thing is the scene where the Madam Baek was forcing Young Jak to engage in a sexual intercourse. It surprised a lot of moviegoers, especially girls. I remember when I watched the movie, girls were saying "Noooo" and "Oh my God" during that scene. (Check this for the rated R trailer)
