The Chambermaid

Vicky Krieps sparkles in the title role in this curiously lighthearted comedy-drama about a lovely young chambermaid named Lynn, who takes a job in a hotel in order to act out her peculiar form of self-therapy: namely, hiding under strangers' beds. A diligent worker with a near-mania for cleaning—and recent history as a mental patient—Lynn sometimes also puts on the clothes of hotel guests. But she is largely interested in observing activity in a room from an underneath-the-mattress perspective, which leads to her meeting and forming a relationship with a high-priced prostitute. Writer-director Ingo Haeb patiently strings out the various mysteries going on here about Lynn's sanity, while clearly also establishing Lynn as a sympathetic—albeit quirky—girl-woman. Along the way, there are moments of genuine tension revolving around what strange, dark acts Lynn is actually capable of doing. Recommended. (T. Keogh)