The film explores themes of . It is known for its tense atmosphere, strong performances, and its unflinching look at how power and powerlessness can corrupt love.

If you were looking for a ("fydyw lfth" – short video) from the film, key scenes include the sisters’ intimate conversation by candlelight, the tense dinner table sequence, and the final violent outburst.

The film stars (as Madame Danzard), Joely Richardson (as her daughter, Isabelle), and real-life sisters Jodhi May (as Lea) and Alyssa Sutherland ? — Correction: the sisters in the film are played by Joely Richardson as the older sister Christine, and Jodhi May as the younger sister Lea. (Apologies for the mix-up: Julie Walters plays the mother, Madame Danzard.)

Set in a small, claustrophobic French household in the 1930s, the story focuses on two maids, Christine and Lea, who are sisters. They work for an overbearing, cruel widow and her flirtatious, rebellious daughter. Cut off from the outside world, the sisters develop an intense, obsessive, and incestuous relationship. Their emotional and sexual isolation, combined with the psychological abuse from their employer, leads to a violent and tragic climax.