Nanny – A Decent Immigrant Thriller

Nikyatu Jusu, known for his strong Black female protagonists, is back with a psychological thriller that puts the allure of the American Dream in tandem with the struggles of an African immigrant. Nanny is a poignant tale that follows Aisha (Diop), an immigrant from Senegal, who works as a nanny for a wealthy family in New York City. She dreams of bringing her son to the United States. But, what fate has in store for her is something else.

Nanny, the 2022 Sundance Film Festival Grand Jury Prize winner, is one of the thematically strongest films of the year. Jusu’s screenplay is an eclectic mix of many themes, using horror, drama, and African spiritual tales to get its point across. Aisha works very hard to collect funds to bring her son to America but is met with wavering support from her employers. She starts seeing visions, experiencing blackouts, and hearing noises that linger on a thin edge between psychological and horror elements. What these premonitions mean hangs as a mystery throughout the film. She deals with all these while balancing her social life and newly-found love.

Motherhood takes the center stage in the film, forming the emotional core and objective for the protagonist. Aisha’s strong with her maternal instincts, not just with her own son, but with Rose (Decker) as well, the one whom she is babysitting. What makes Aisha strong is also her greatest fear. She cannot imagine a life without her son. She takes good care of Rose, and not just because that is her job. As Aisha’s bond with her son weakens, her fears take the better of her. Her hallucinations get more frequent and frightening. Amy (Monaghan), Aisha’s employer, is a mother as well, but she lies on the other end of the spectrum. While her maternal instincts are not strong, she still makes sure that Rose, her daughter, is well taken care of. She is the main provider for the family, and she works hard to do that.

Nanny has a hard time creating a thrill out of its story. The horror, mainly psychological, is scattered and even ill-placed at times. The water motif gets too on the nose, and that somehow makes the ending slightly predictable. The film struggles with juggling different aspects, so the focus keeps shifting between drama, thrill, and mystery. Such shifts in tone make none of them hit hard with impact. The script is too ambitious for its own good, some storylines are hinted toward but never acted upon. Amy is set up to be someone who will play an important role in the story, but she ends up getting the shorter end of the stick. Her character moments are sprinkled here and there, but they are rarely expounded. Jusu has a clear vision of making the film about Aisha and ends up neglecting the supporting characters. They become just a means to an end.

While Nanny is not the strongest of thrillers, it is still a very profound exploration of how immigrants struggle to make it in the United States. It boasts an ambitious screenplay that brings together a variety of themes, finding an innovative story amidst them. It does not truly stand up to its genre, but it is still worth a watch given its short runtime.

*still courtesy of Amazon Studios*

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