# The Housewife (film)
**The Housewife** is a 2026 historical drama film directed by Ben Shirinian in his feature debut, written by Alyssa Hill, and starring [Naomi Watts](https://www.edgepedia.org/naomi-watts) as Hermine, an Austrian-born woman living in Queens, New York, who is suspected of having been a Nazi officer during World War II. Based on a true story from 1964, the film follows a young New York Times journalist ([Tye Sheridan](https://www.edgepedia.org/tye-sheridan)) who tracks the suspect down and befriends his elegant wife, with unsettling consequences for the investigation.[1](https://www.movieinsider.com/m25299/the-housewife) • [2](https://www.sansebastianfestival.com/2026/sections_adn_films/7/742413/in)
| Key fact | Detail |
|---|---|
| Director / writer | Ben Shirinian (feature debut); screenplay by Alyssa Hill[2](https://www.sansebastianfestival.com/2026/sections_adn_films/7/742413/in) |
| Cast | Naomi Watts, Tye Sheridan, Luke Evans, Michael Imperioli, Lena Olin, Debi Mazar; Norman Reedus also appears[2](https://www.sansebastianfestival.com/2026/sections_adn_films/7/742413/in) • [3](https://www.productionlist.com/production/the-housewife) |
| Premise | New York, 1964: a journalist tracks a potential Nazi officer hiding in Queens and befriends the lead suspect's charming wife[2](https://www.sansebastianfestival.com/2026/sections_adn_films/7/742413/in) |
| Basis | True story from 1964; the real-life subject is Hermine Braunsteiner, a former guard at two Nazi concentration camps[1](https://www.movieinsider.com/m25299/the-housewife) • [4](https://www.huffingtonpost.es/virales/naomi-watts-habla-esta-ocurriendo-mundo-resume-seis-palabras-tenemos-vigilantes-f202609.html) |
| Runtime / rating | 102 minutes (1h 42m); rated PG-13 for strong language, suicide and smoking[5](https://www.rottentomatoes.com/m/the_housewife) • [1](https://www.movieinsider.com/m25299/the-housewife) |
| Premieres | Toronto International Film Festival, September 10, 2026; San Sebastián Donostia Award screening, September 19, 2026[6](https://www.imdb.com/title/tt31186307/releaseinfo/) • [7](https://sansebastianfestival.com/2026/donostia_awards/1/23237/in) |
| Sales and distribution | Neon (sales); DeAPlaneta (Spain); United States release date to be announced[2](https://www.sansebastianfestival.com/2026/sections_adn_films/7/742413/in) • [8](https://www.releases.com/p/the-housewife-movie) |
## Spoilers
### Plot and historical basis
The story is set in New York in 1964. A determined young New York Times journalist tracks down a potential Nazi officer living secretly in Queens. When he befriends the suspect's elegant and charming wife, the implications of his investigation become much more unsettling.[1](https://www.movieinsider.com/m25299/the-housewife) The wife, Hermine, is Austrian-born and lives with an American husband, played by [Luke Evans](https://www.edgepedia.org/luke-evans); she claims her wartime job was that of a nurse, "saving rather than slaughtering," and tells the journalist, "You do not know war in America."[9](https://www.theguardian.com/film/2026/sep/11/toronto-film-festival-housewife-review)
The real story behind the film is that of Hermine Braunsteiner, a former guard at two [Nazi concentration camps](https://www.edgepedia.org/nazi-concentration-camps) who lived hidden in the United States.[4](https://www.huffingtonpost.es/virales/naomi-watts-habla-esta-ocurriendo-mundo-resume-seis-palabras-tenemos-vigilantes-f202609.html) Critics noted that the screenplay alters facts of the real story to force a plot twist.[5](https://www.rottentomatoes.com/m/the_housewife)
## Production
Neon announced the project in February 2024, kicking off foreign sales at the European Film Market in Berlin, with Naomi Watts, Tye Sheridan, Michael Imperioli, and [Norman Reedus](https://www.edgepedia.org/norman-reedus) set to star and CAA Media Finance representing domestic sales rights.[10](https://www.thewrap.com/naomi-watts-tye-sheridan-to-star-in-the-housewife-neon/) Robbie Brenner and Lee Broda produced, with Hill executive producing.[10](https://www.thewrap.com/naomi-watts-tye-sheridan-to-star-in-the-housewife-neon/) The producers of record on the finished film are Robbie Brenner, Lee Broda, Jason De Beer, Kevin McKeon, and Matt Paul.[5](https://www.rottentomatoes.com/m/the_housewife)
Shooting took place in Montreal, which stands in for New York; the Guardian's reviewer found the period immersion effective but noted that Montreal never quite works as a New York stand-in.[9](https://www.theguardian.com/film/2026/sep/11/toronto-film-festival-housewife-review) Michael Merriman was the cinematographer, Jon Devries the editor, and Kevin Lau the composer.[2](https://www.sansebastianfestival.com/2026/sections_adn_films/7/742413/in)
## Release and reception
The film had its world premiere at the [Toronto International Film Festival](https://www.edgepedia.org/toronto-international-film-festival) on September 10, 2026, and was reported as the festival's opening-night selection.[6](https://www.imdb.com/title/tt31186307/releaseinfo/) • [11](https://planetoffilms.com/the-housewife-review-roundup-naomi-watts/) It was then screened at the 74th San Sebastián International Film Festival on September 19, 2026, as the Donostia Award screening honoring Naomi Watts.[7](https://sansebastianfestival.com/2026/donostia_awards/1/23237/in) At the time of those festivals the film was still seeking United States distribution, and no American theatrical release date had been announced.[11](https://planetoffilms.com/the-housewife-review-roundup-naomi-watts/) • [8](https://www.releases.com/p/the-housewife-movie)
Critical response was divided, with Watts's performance the most consistently praised element. Pete Hammond of Deadline Hollywood Daily called Watts "stunning" in "an enormously tricky and risky performance," playing a woman deep in denial of who she was, unapologetic even with the husband who never knew.[5](https://www.rottentomatoes.com/m/the_housewife) The Guardian's Benjamin Lee was negative, calling the film an "overcooked melodrama" and "a strangely inert misfire," while crediting first-time director Shirinian with effective period immersion and singling out [Lena Olin](https://www.edgepedia.org/lena-olin)'s testimony scene.[9](https://www.theguardian.com/film/2026/sep/11/toronto-film-festival-housewife-review) IndieWire gave a C+, writing that the film "never fully lands," and [The Playlist](https://www.edgepedia.org/the-playlist) argued that as the story progresses it "feels more and more like two completely different films," with the shift from slow-burn character study to courtroom drama increasingly jarring.[5](https://www.rottentomatoes.com/m/the_housewife) • [11](https://planetoffilms.com/the-housewife-review-roundup-naomi-watts/)
## Other films of the same name
The title has been used by several unrelated projects. An Israeli 15-minute experimental short, *Housewife*, directed, written, and produced by Ilan Hertzog, screened at the EPOS International Art Film Festival.[12](https://www.costanza-films.com/en/filmen/housewife/) A separate American short film, *The Housewife*, directed by Jeremiah Kipp from a script by Kelly A. Turner, is a thriller about a stay-at-home mother who must escape kidnappers; it won 15 awards on its festival circuit and serves as a proof of concept for a feature version in development.[13](https://filmfreeway.com/TheHousewifeFilm) • [14](https://www.katproductionsllc.com/projects/thehousewife)
## References
1. [The Housewife Movie, MovieInsider](https://www.movieinsider.com/m25299/the-housewife)
2. [The Housewife, San Sebastian Film Festival program](https://www.sansebastianfestival.com/2026/sections_adn_films/7/742413/in)
3. [The Housewife, Production List](https://www.productionlist.com/production/the-housewife)
4. [Naomi Watts habla de lo que está ocurriendo en el mundo, HuffPost España](https://www.huffingtonpost.es/virales/naomi-watts-habla-esta-ocurriendo-mundo-resume-seis-palabras-tenemos-vigilantes-f202609.html)
5. [The Housewife, Rotten Tomatoes](https://www.rottentomatoes.com/m/the_housewife)
6. [The Housewife (2026) Release info, IMDb](https://www.imdb.com/title/tt31186307/releaseinfo/)
7. [Naomi Watts receives the Donostia Award, San Sebastian Festival](https://sansebastianfestival.com/2026/donostia_awards/1/23237/in)
8. [The Housewife Release Dates, Releases.com](https://www.releases.com/p/the-housewife-movie)
9. [The Housewife review, The Guardian](https://www.theguardian.com/film/2026/sep/11/toronto-film-festival-housewife-review)
10. [Tye Sheridan, Naomi Watts to Star in Neon's 'The Housewife', TheWrap](https://www.thewrap.com/naomi-watts-tye-sheridan-to-star-in-the-housewife-neon/)
11. [The Housewife Review Roundup: Naomi Watts Praised, Planet of Films](https://planetoffilms.com/the-housewife-review-roundup-naomi-watts/)
12. [Housewife, Constanza Films](https://www.costanza-films.com/en/filmen/housewife/)
13. [The Housewife, FilmFreeway](https://filmfreeway.com/TheHousewifeFilm)
14. [The Housewife (short completed, feature in development), KAT Productions LLC](https://www.katproductionsllc.com/projects/thehousewife)
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*Topic: Encyclopedia › Arts and culture › Screen and stage › Film and television › Films and standalone screen works › Individual films by title and year › Drama and biographical films (individual works) › Upcoming drama films 2027 onward*
*Initially written Sep 17, 2026 · Reviewed: Sep 30, 2026; Oct 3, 2026; Oct 25, 2026 · Edited: Sep 30, 2026; Oct 3, 2026; Oct 25, 2026; Nov 1, 2026 · Last review: Oct 25, 2026*
*Copyright 2026 EdgeChat AI, a subsidiary of Biostate AI.*
License: Edgepedia Community License 1.0, https://www.edgepedia.org/edgepedia/license