Nanny

Good movie!

a waste of time and data

source: Nanny

Good movie!

source: Nanny

I have no idea what this movie is about. There is no true plot. Just a series of scenes that were kinda go together. Nothing is resolved but here again, I am not sure I care as none of the characters are developed enough to really care. I think it is trying to be some pretentious high brow movie, but since it doesn't have things like a plot, a narrative, or a point of view, it is hard to tell if they failed or not. This movie is like if Herschel Walker gave a bunch of speeches and then they made it into a screenplay. I wish I could speak to the specifics of the film, but there doesn't seem to be anything to really comment on. I gave it a two but I am not sure if that is too high or low to be honest. Just makes zero sense.

If you enjoy reading my Spoiler-Free thoughts, please follow my blog to read my full review :) "Nanny boasts an intriguing story about maternal instincts that will also touch the hearts of many immigrants. Anna Diop probably delivers her career-best performance, commanding the screen in an almost mesmerizing manner. The enclosed location is gorgeously handled by Rina Yang's remarkable cinematography, but the admittedly significant supernatural elements become too repetitive and too heavy throughout the runtime. The ending saves an impactful yet underwhelming revelation that warrants the eerie atmosphere, but the inevitable pacing issues may leave the audience too tired by that point. Still, Nikyatu Jusu shows tremendous skill and braveness by tackling one of the most demanding filmmaking tasks while carrying a unique voice. One to look out for." Rating: C+

Nanny is a beautifully rendered film about an Senegalese immigrant nanny who is haunted by the life she left behind in her country. Aisha is complicated, longing to be reunited with her son who she wants to bring to New York. The film meticulously allows us to inhabit Aisha's mind and world. The vibrant colors of Senegal unfold before us even as we watch the nanny descend into psychological and emotional distress, and perhaps, madness. We don't really know how the film will end, until it does. This script isn't perfect but it works on so many levels that go beyond the script. I loved it! See it!

As the many offended reviews on here attest, you should make sure to keep away if you are after Hollywoodian action heroes, generic slasher thrills or spectacular supernatural horror; I kinda sympathise with teenagers approaching a movie dubbed by marketeers as 'horror,' with clear expectation, that can only be disappointed. If you're looking for stylish zombie killing with a Senegalese twist, try Herbulot's Saloum instead. If, on the other hand, your attention-span has not yet shrunk to standard size, and you can cope with a slow build and appreciate an acutely observed portrait, for what it says, rather than what it does, this might be worth your time! The writing is good: subdued and self-aware, playing with our expectations of 'minority horror', avoiding obvious tropes and hinting at some disquieting of class, race and gender (though I feel the odium might have been spread more evenly between Amy and Adam). The acting is very good (Anna Diop is subtle and shows a great range, Rose Decker is convincing throughout. Again only Amy felt a little too monolithic); The cinematography is sharp and expressive, with the 'water' theme an occasion for a few interesting visual experiments (i.e. The bathtub scenes) and a few that fall short (i.e. The damp bed scenes). The production is a little over-polished for my taste (did Malik the concierge need to drive a convertible?) and on occasion a bit easy (are date scenes awash in multi-coloured neon lights mandatory those days?) But on the whole this is balanced, subtle and elegant: the contrast between Aisha's flat and that of Amy is spot on; the 'modernised' Dutch-wax dresses immediately build characters; etc. The sound effects are good, but the music is a mixed-bag: I'd have gone with less trap and more kora (which has great creepy potential). Where the film really shines is in its subtle and iconoclastic portrayal Black characters (i.e. The girl at the Western Union counter, the weird fellow nannies on the playground or Aisha herself is refreshingly nuanced, neither loud nor supine but self-assured, articulate and unflinching. She's not the most likeable character on earth (the core relation to her son is on screen only through photographs) but she brings a healthy dose of social realism in a genre always at risk of constructing its own clichés. Aside from those vignettes, the fantastic element which connects them is a little extraneous and disappointing. It feels a little 'tacked on' and this nudges the whole thing toward magical realism rather than horror or fantastic. I also think 'Trickster' figures simply don't fit the feature film format all that well: they lack the time to display the various aspects of their ambiguous character, and end up merely confused and confusing. That is what happens here. The vague New Age womanist references also don't help clarifying the lore out. In short, there's room for improvement, a stricter production and a tighter scenario would have pleased many more. But all the same, this is an impressive first feature-length entry from Nikyatu Jusu, whom I'll make sure to follow in the future.

Greetings again from the darkness. The first feature film from writer-director Nikyatu Jusu is a supernatural psychological thriller that may or may not belong in the horror genre. It's filled with original concepts, innovative camera shots, and a truly powerful lead performance. Despite all it has going for it, the film never quite gels for us, instead creating a bit of confusion as to whether it was trying to make a point or not. Anna Diop (US, 2019) stars as Aisha. She seizes the role from her first scene and never relinquishes control. Aisha is an immigrant from Senegal who has come to the United States for a better life. She left her son behind in the home country until she can send for him. Aisha is educated and overqualified for the domestic help job she takes for a couple in a swanky Manhattan apartment. However, she's committed to doing what she must to reunite with her son Lamine, whom she sees on FaceTime. Rose (Rose Spector) is the young girl she is hired to look after, and her parents are Amy (Michelle Monaghan), an anxiety-filled working mom trying to ascend the corporate ladder, and Adam (Morgan Spector), a photojournalist who thinks he can relate to Aisha's background. Amy and Adam have a strained relationship, and neither seems keen to be a parent to Rose. We witness Aisha's ease with Rose, as well as the tension she has with Amy and Adam who seem to take advantage of her in every possible way - including slow payment, cheating her on hours worked, last minute schedule changes, and even invading her personal space. All of this builds in Aisha to the point where her dreams/nightmares/daydreams become a real issue. Water is featured heavily, and we initially relate this to her feeling like she is drowning in the frustrating situation. However soon African folklore enters with spiders and mermaids, and the visions become more alarming. We realize the water has more significance. The use of color is startling. Aisha's workplace (the apartment) is washed out gray with cold stone surfaces, while her personal time features vibrant primary colors and music. A sweet romance with Malik (Sinqua Walls), the doorman, provides Aisha with hope. Unfortunately, the psychological character study that has been building through most of the film turns to mostly horror in the final act. The film excels, as does Ms. Diop, when the stress and tension and frustrations of the real world are in the forefront. Still, despite the often bumpy storylines, Aisha's character and the visuals in the film provide high expectations for Nikyatu Jusu as a filmmaker, and announces Anna Diop as a true leading actor. Opens on December 2, 2022.