Entertainment news and discussion on TalkFuse.
‘The Housewife’ Review: Naomi Watts Anchors a Watchable but Underpowered True Story of Hidden Nazism in Suburban Queens
Naomi Watts stars as Hermine Ryan, an immigrant homemaker whose carefully maintained suburban life conceals a Nazi past. Set in mid-1960s Queens, the film explores her self-deception and the investigation that begins when a journalist, acting on a tip from Nazi hunter Simon Wiesenthal, starts asking questions. The review finds Watts’ performance compelling, but considers the surrounding thriller predictable and insufficiently developed.
The film benefits from polished period production, a strong supporting cast and Ben Shirinian’s serious direction, though his debut overemphasises clues already made obvious by the script. Tye Sheridan’s journalist and Michael Imperioli’s immigration officer are seen as weak counterpoints to Watts, while Luke Evans and Lena Olin are underused; despite these flaws, the drama could appeal to older arthouse audiences.
In short
- Naomi Watts delivers the film’s strongest performance.
- The Nazi-hunting mystery is predictable and underdeveloped.
- Polished production may attract arthouse viewers.
Explained simply
The film is based on the kind of post-war cases in which people who had lived under Nazi rule settled elsewhere and built new lives. Hermine Ryan is an immigrant homemaker in Queens, a borough of New York City, whose past is brought into question decades later.
The investigation in the story begins after a journalist receives a tip from Simon Wiesenthal, a Holocaust survivor who became known for tracking down former Nazis. The film centres on the gap between Ryan’s ordinary suburban life and the history the journalist is trying to uncover.
The story touches on how communities and officials dealt with allegations about people’s wartime pasts after they had settled in new countries. It also draws on the wider effort to identify and hold former Nazi perpetrators accountable.