Tribeca 2022: Babysitter Review

This will be one of several reviews from this year’s Tribeca film Festival. To follow our coverage, click here.

Not all characters have to be likable in every film as if done right, they can sometimes lead audiences to take a look within themselves. Misogyny and sexism are rampant issues that need to be brought back to the surface in order to shine a light on them. Babysitter is a ridiculous French-Canadian dark comedy that straddles that line between ridiculousness and tackling the big issues. While not perfect by any means, the film still delivers an entertaining watch despite its muddled message that gets off track near the end. Running relatively short with a running time of over 80 minutes, it is a quick watch boasting plenty of style, a decent soundtrack, and some great performances across the board. Where it ultimately falters is within an admittedly skewed male perspective that could be hard to get behind for some audiences as the film solely depends on it. The other side of the equation could have helped sell its message just a little better.

Babysitter follows a man named Cédric (Hivon) who would get indefinitely suspended from his job as an engineer following a viral sexist incident. From there, his time away forced him to take a deep look at himself as he embarked on a journey of self-rediscovery to attempt to reform his sexist and misogynist ways while tending to he and his wife Nadine’s (Chokri) newborn baby girl. At his wit’s end, Cedric hired a free-spirited babysitter named Amy (Tereszkiewicz) to help him out but little did he know the impact she would have on his daughter and his marriage. Told from his perspective and using perspective and an evolving visual style, the film highlights his arc as female characters are seen as more than just objects.

To truly address the issues leading to his misogyny and sexism, Cedric found a therapeutic outlet by writing a letter to the woman he initially wronged as a means to reform his image and perhaps get his job back. However, what started off as a simple letter became so much more. Meanwhile, Nadine was essentially an afterthought, insecure about her age and ashamed of herself. As the dynamic of Cedric, Nadine, and Amy was complete, the film takes a turn and goes off the rails in a way that it could never quite recover from.

The best part of Babysitter was its performances from Hivon, Chokri, and Tereszkiewicz as Cedric, Nadine, and Amy respectively. Hivon’s Cedric may be a despicable character and his redemption arc unbelievable on paper but his arc over the course of the film was compelling to watch in spite of that. Chokri, also the film’s director, basically meandered as Nadine. However, Tereszkiewicz as Amy was a scene-stealer thanks to her youthful energy even though the character never fully came together.

At the end of the day, Babysitter won’t be for everyone but is just weird enough to get by.

still courtesy of Tribeca

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Keith Noakes

The EIC of the coincidentally-named keithlovesmovies.com. A Canadian who prefers to get out of the cold and into the warmth of a movie theatre.