Nanny

Anna Diop

Nikyatu Jusu's Nanny was praised by critics and buried upon release, somewhat suitably I think. It is an interestingly arty horror film about a Senegalese emigre struggling as a nanny in Tribeca, NYC. Aisha (Anna Diop) has left her young son with relatives back in Dakar while toiling as a nanny for a haute bourgeoise couple. The social elements, particularly Aisha's alienation, are effectively rendered, but the foreboding visions of horror that plague Aisha come off as overly fussy and academic. The recurrent use of water imagery, with various African mythological figures seemingly coming to life to bedevil our heroine, attempts to milk the notion of the collective unconscious, but is not particularly scary or uncanny looking. The horror seems thought out, but not felt. 

The other major drawback is Ms. Diop. She is serviceable, but little more. stiff and unanimated even when going out her gourd. Michelle Monaghan is well cast as a craven Karen type, but flubs her drunk scene. Leslie Uggams looks great at 80, but her part requires her to deliver her the film's moral as if she was addressing a freshman seminar. Still, Jusu wrangles some charismatic and memorable performances out of her cast: particularly Sinqua Walls, Morgan Spector, and Princess Adenike. The production design and costumes are superb and Jusu knows how to utilize them with her camera. When Aisha borrows a snappy red dress from her employer, Jusu archly implies that she is donning, only for a moment, white privilege. Aisha's young charge is usually clad in sparkly (spoiled) princess attire. Significantly during the only truly shared moment between the two, the young girl is in animal prints.

Nanny looks gorgeous, but that sometimes works against the movie. The film is the type where the characters drink white wine with soul food and the bright colors makes the party scenes look like Benneton or pharmaceutical ads. The horror is supposed to leak out of these shiny happy bourgeoise facades, but Jusu fails to integrate theme with form. However, there are some suitably queasy moments when sick greens vie with angry reds. Ms. Jusu is a gifted visual talent, the lighting and color of this film ranks among the best I've seen in the last few years and I hope Ms. Jusu returns with a more suitable scenario.