Almost three million women in Brazil work as maids. The wealth of stories these women have to tell prompted directors Fernando Meirelles and Nando Oiival to make a comedy based on the award winning p!ay by Renata Melo. Nominated for a Tiger Award at this year's Rotterdam International Film Festival, the film is a critical look at the harsh reality of a city based servant's life, focusing on the characters as storytellers. It begins in faux documentary style with the protagonists addressing the camera, speaking frankly about their personal desires, frustrations and pleasures. We see women wrestling with loneliness, ambition, conflicts with partners and children, loss and pain. As the film progresses, incidents and accidents, both comical and tragic unfold. Their stories are universal with new and exciting encounters, music and mutual solidarity providing sparkling interludes in their heavy existence.