Nikyatu Jusu’s first film as both writer and director, the thriller Nanny, is one that cannot easily be forgotten. The psychological thriller won the United States grand jury award at this year’s Sundance Film Festival and continues to take the breath away of viewers at various film festivals around the nation, most recently in Chicago International Film Festival.
Nanny is a thought-provoking film that explores deep issues with an underlining narrative: Aisha experiences a painful feeling in her heart as she becomes absorbed by her desire to have enough money from her new nanny job to bring her son to America.
Anna Diop’s portrayal of Aisha is nothing short of amazing. Anna Diop plays Aisha remarkably well. American-Senegalese actress Diop has appeared in Greenleaf and most recently on DC Universe/HBO Max series Titans; so let us hope for more from this gifted performer. Suicide by Sunlight filmmaker Nikyatu Jusu is an immigrant from Sierra Leone who examines complexities faced by black women especially those displaced into other countries. They are a powerful force together. Earlier audiences have not seen such captivating characters brought alive on their screens.
A few minutes into the movie show Aisha starts out at her new nanny work place . It was Amy (portrayed menacingly by Michelle Monaghan) who met Aisha at Amy’s extravagant apartment in New York City which had everything carefully arranged. You could see that nothing was misplaced or out of order anywhere On the other hand, Amy – one half of a prominent white couple with marriage still standing on rocks – has an obsession for being right about things and insisting on details.To suitably feed Rose (Rose Decker), her daughter before going back to work once again expects another round of boring corporate ladder climbing involving Adam (Morgan Spector)–she tells Aisha what foods she can give Rose while Adam goes off on business travels making you expect a further decline in the atmosphere.
Aisha and Rose get along, more or less, and that is where we see Aisha’s larger than life heart. She is a natural caretaker by nature. Then there are moments when the script returns to some tender scenes between Aisha and her son Lamine (Jahleel Kamara). With this scene, it becomes clear what is at stake for Aisha, how long she has had to wait before coming here leaving Lamine behind with someone close from her family. There are times when FaceTime works but sadly Aisha just wants to hold her child again desperately.
Malik (memorably played by Sinqua Walls), whom Amy and Adam’s building security appointed as doorman can be added into all that. The bond between Malik and Aisha is instantaneously created. Gradually, it increases until they spend more time together. In many respects, Malik serves as one of the last remaining cultural connections that exist in Aisha’s new life on the other side of the Atlantic: as well as being there for Aisha when she begins dreaming and seeing things while asleep or awake which put doubt in her mind about whether real life exists at all.
It is clear that something strange is going on with her though she cannot understand it.Amy cannot keep hiding behind his laid-back manner very much longer once Adam comes back home from business trip.Hence worsening Amy’s neuroticism provokes disturbing visions in Aisha.She feels like she’s losing herself even.Sleeping and waking life are disrupted by these sudden dreams of hers leading them to question reality itself.
In the end, Aisha feels solace and companionship in Malik’s grandmother Kathleen played to a tee by acting legend Leslie Uggams. Kathleen who has deep spiritual insight helps Aisha reflect on her strange visions that often involve West African folklore characters like trickster Anansi and water spirit Mami Wata. But this pause for introspection is constantly interrupted. The shape of a spider begins appearing around her, which is Anansi’s image. Also there is Mami Wata, herself looking slightly bullish, pull at Aisha until she feels like she is drowning. Both folkloric images seem to be delivering some kind of message.
By mid-way into Nanny we realize Nikyatu Jusu’s approach carries distinct horror from immigrant experiences as opposed to other horror stories. We have seen these people before but not many times when their stories are told well enough showing how uncertain they are feeling or suffering right now. Nanny does so with style. Jusu maintains the humanity of our protagonist and delves deep into it; through loss, grief, dislocation and new world confusion mingled with roots in another before that.
This director uses aquatic imagery throughout his film which stands out greatly and should be acknowledged accordingly. These sections come off as ethereal and kind of sorta hypnotic? It seems as though Aisha’s emotions are dragging her down but it might be something else altogether—something the Gods? The Heavens? Something “out there?” Dive in if you want know what it could possibly be.
Regardless of everything Nanny is an experience worth taking up because the rich imagery profundifies and complicates Jusu’s narrative in ways one rarely finds elsewhere. As well as Diop did too. The actor owns the screen completely .Diop will always act as the soul of this movie if we take Aisha as its heart beat .The performance was powerful, intense , rawer than any other and hypnotizing. You will not be able to look away from any of her glances or every move she makes; you will hang onto her every word .And it was all done with so much amazing passion as well.
In the closing scenes of this film, Aisha’s thoughts come back again to the possibility of being reunited with her son. In the end, it’s the audience that walks away from the film hoping to be reunited with somebody like Aisha again.
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