Film Review || Nanny (2022)

Review

The plot and settings of this film are brilliant. Aisha, the immigrant, is the central focus and Nikyatu Jusu did an excellent job filling every scene with her presence. Viewers see the pursuits, trials and pains of the American immigrant through each act such as her duties in the house, her bond with Rose which includes feeding her the famous Jollof rice, the usual gossip that takes place at parks between immigrant nannies and so on.

We see what life is like from the eyes and narration of Aisha which is a fresh insight than if seen through another party's eyes. Also, Nikyatu Jusu shines the light on the exploitation and abuse that most domestic workers face in the US.

This brilliant writer-director intertwines the immigrant experience with a supernatural side where we get to know a little about the influence of Mami Wata, an African seductive and dangerous water spirit, and the wise-trickster spider, Anansi. This part captures the horror part of the film but in my opinion, it was more psychological than horror.

I mourn the fact that Nikyatu Jusu's feature film could have been better if it was not slow-paced and loosely assembled. This film runs for ninety-seven minutes but it was towards ten minutes to the end that everything made sense. The scenes are disjointed and end up as loose ends or haphazardly resolved to leave viewers dissatisfied.

Another thing that further drives Nanny down the hole of forgettable films of 2022 is the poor visuals and colouring. The supposedly scary scenes' transitions are awkward, messily included and distract from the film’s central focus - Aisha.

The cast is great and so is their chemistry. I applaud Anna Diop for bringing Aisha to life. We see Aisha as a determined black woman and mother who never lost sight of herself in a foreign country, or of her son, her culture, or her goals, despite the challenges she faced. Diop’s performance is moving and admirable.

The ending is somewhat heartbreaking but it's an enjoyable film. I give it 3.8 stars out of 5 stars because of the slow pace and disjointed scenes.

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^{Other images are screenshots from the movie}