Nanny follows Aisha as she babysits the daughter of an affluent couple to earn enough money to bring her son to the United States. The movie is now streaming on Prime Video.
Story
Aisha, a Senegalese immigrant, starts working as a nanny for Amy and Adam’s daughter, Rose. She desires to start a new life here in the United States with her son, Lamine, who is at the moment living with his aunt.
Aisha and Rose click instantly, leaving Amy nothing to worry about. Things don’t work out as smoothly as expected, as Amy often forgets to pay Aisha on time. Aisha gets tired, but one video call from Lamine is enough for her to move forward.
Amidst all of this, strange visions haunt her at night, leaving her to question what they want from her.
She starts dating Malik, a security guard working at the same building Amy and Adam live in. He introduces her to his grandmother, Kathleen, who has a painting of Mami Wata, a holy water spirit that appears in her visions.
As the days go by, Aisha loses contact with Lamine, and these visions drive her to kill the very person she cares for and works for in the form of Rose.
Performance
Anna Diop gives a dedicated performance as Aisha. The care and maternal instinct can be seen. On top of that, her mannerisms in the film suggest that she is eager to earn money and is dying to meet her son.
It’s understandable that Rose Decker is just a kid, but her performance as Rose is not convincing. Especially with the fact that she is here to portray the impact Aisha, who is a caring mother, has had on her.
The rest of the supporting cast certainly doesn’t get much time to shine.
Morgan Spector as Adam comes out a bit villainous. At the same time, Michelle Monaghan as Amy fails to express the same feeling, though she is the one to confront Aisha later in the film.
Positives
The movie initially brings in an interesting premise that starts off great. Despite being slow, Aisha’s goals and life make the audience root for her.
Furthermore, her relationship with Rose as well as with Lamine, though it’s mostly on the phone, is heartwarming to watch.
The movie sheds light on a legend that is not that popular in horror films. The storytelling around Mami Wata is intriguing, and it certainly grabs the attention of a viewer.
On top of that, the design of Mami Wata is quite scary. The viewers won’t be able to take their eyes off the spirit once it appears on the screen.
Negatives
The movie takes a really long route to suggest that it’s a horror film. To be frank, it is hardly a horror film. It is more of a drama that tries to be horror and fails miserably at it.
It’s acceptable that the movie is not relying on traditional techniques and is depending on the lore, but even the message it wants to portray gets lost somewhere.
The lack of explanation around the motives of the characters messes up the film. Toward the end, the viewers are left confused and with zero answers. They are forced to make sense of what they’ve just seen.
Verdict
Though ‘Nanny’ wants to convey a great message, it shies away from explaining it properly, leaving everything for the viewers to speculate. Furthermore, the horror part is not appealing at all even if it manages to lure some avid fans in.
Also Read: Nanny ending explained: Does Aisha reunite with her son?