The Maids Will Come On Monday is the most recent short by Harley Chamandy. We reviewed The Final Act Of Joey Jumbler a while back and this certainly lives up to the promise that film showed. He shows an insight into people and relationships that’s surprising for someone who’s only twenty.

Christmas can be the best or worst of times depending upon one’s situation. When that involves dinner with family, some of whom you may not see often, it can turn hellish in a heartbeat. That is the basic concept behind The Maids Will Come On Monday. A wealthy but shallow family comes together for Christmas dinner. And fall apart over to many holiday spirits.

The dinner itself is an apt metaphor for this family. The table is beautifully set with ornate crystal and china. The meal is Chinese take out still in the cartons. And there’s the booze, lots of booze. And as it dulls their minds and loosens their tongues the truths come out. At times disastrously so.

While not a comedy The Maids Will Come On Monday has several moments of dark humor. This makes it a bit more accessible than his previous film which was rather grim throughout. It also lets the dialogue move in different directions, at times the humour seeming to carry as much truth as things said seriously.

Well shot and nicely paced The Maids Will Come On Monday never drags or descends into melodrama despite material that could easily do either. Instead, it stays on target and delivers a story that may hit a bit to close to home for some.

The Maids Will Come On Monday is available to watch on Vimeo and I’ve embedded it and its trailer for your viewing pleasure. More details on the production can be found on its Facebook page.