Nanny Review: Anna Diop Shines In Nikyatu Jusu's Haunting Feature Debut
Writer-director Nikyatu Jusu, in her feature directorial debut, masterfully marries folkloric horror with a haunting character study and analysis of the American Dream. There are so many moving parts within Nanny, coalescing to bring an overall moving, effective portrait of the immigrant experience in America, and the heartache of leaving one’s home and loved ones behind.
Aisha (Anna Diop) is a Senegalese immigrant who takes up work as a nanny for Amy's (Michelle Monaghan) daughter Rose (Rose Decker) in New York City. She works (and overworks) as she tries to raise enough money to bring her young son Lamine (Jahleel Kamara) to the U.S. to live with her permanently. As her workload increases — and her overtime hours go uncompensated by Amy — Aisha grows all the more frustrated as her promises to Lamine begin to sound empty. Meanwhile, Aisha starts to hear and see things around her that blur her reality and intensify her feelings and struggles.
Jusu imbues Nanny with supernatural elements that aid in understanding Aisha’s headspace, the unease she so often feels as an outsider, and the constant pain that goes along with the emotional toll of taking care of someone else’s child while she’s unable to properly care for her own. These supernatural aspects manifest in disconcerting ways, threatening to consume Aisha in the physical world — the sound of water rushing down, flooding Aisha’s senses, the shadow of a spider’s legs as it crawls closer and closer, the creaking of the door that alerts her to something, even if she can’t quite make sense of the signs. While these things bring the story to an intense conclusion, they are also the weakest parts of the narrative because they aren’t as fully fleshed out as other parts of the film.
When Nanny is exploring Aisha’s experiences as a Senegalese immigrant, the disparities in treatment and equity as an employee to a wealthy, white American family, and the hardship of being a mother to one child while having to leave hers behind, the film is exquisite and nuanced. Jusu offers scathing commentary about the American Dream, which, as one character points out, is more like “work until you die.” Through Aisha, the film also delves into the subtle racism she contends with and the struggle to be paid what she deserves when Amy attempts to take advantage of her time. The score by Tanerélle and Bartek Gliniak is eerie and intense, beautifully meshing together with the story to create a distinct atmosphere.
The through-line about survival and heeding the signs of warning are all the more heartbreaking when contextualizing it within the framework of the American Dream — Aisha is so overworked and exhausted that she isn’t able to focus on them. Jusu makes the case that survival alone isn’t enough, but that properly living and forging a path in the U.S. as a migrant also comes at a cost. By working in African folklore like Mami Wata, a water spirit, and Anansi the Spider, who often prevails against enemies that are seemingly stronger, Nanny elevates its central character and themes in ways that make for an engaging and achingly beautiful viewing experience. Nanny does drop off a bit as it gets closer to its ending, but picks back up again with urgency.
The film’s haunting nature is made all the more so by Anna Diop’s gorgeous portrayal of Aisha. Through her eyes alone, Diop conveys the hollow ache Aisha feels when speaking with Lamine and the grit of a survivor whose frustration and sadness pulses just beneath the surface, all while her slightly slumped shoulders scream of weariness. Her performance is aided by the fact that Jusu wrote a multidimensional character who has a tremendous amount of depth. Nanny could’ve easily tried to give further insight into Monaghan’s Amy, but maintains Aisha’s perspective throughout without having to get involved in the former’s household drama.
While the horror could’ve been expanded upon further and used to greater effect along with its central plot, Jusu, with the help of cinematographer Rina Yang, who employs close-ups of Aisha to convey her feelings of disquiet and separation from her surroundings, turns in a stunning debut feature. Nanny is striking over and packs an emotional punch, grounded by a phenomenal, nuanced performance by Diop. It's the kind of horror film that lingers on the mind and captivates quite thoroughly in its blending of supernatural and character drama, offering a visual experience that can be incredibly breathtaking when it's at its strongest.
Nanny premiered at the 2022 Sundance Film Festival. The film is 97 minutes long and is not yet rated.