Nanny – Movie Review [Prime Video] (4/5)

NANNY on Prime Video is a movie described as a “psychological horror fable of displacement” which is spot-on. This one will haunt you – just don’t expect a classic horror movie. Read our full Nanny movie review here!

NANNY is a new Prime Video movie produced by Blumhouse. It’s labeled as both a drama and a horror movie, which is correct. The first hour or so is much more drama. However, the horrors shown in this movie do hit harder due to the character-driven story.

The ending is both heartbreaking and uplifting, which ensures that it stays with its viewer for quite some time. The story in this movie is called a “psychological horror fable of displacement” which is a perfect description.

However, just don’t expect a classic horror movie with jump scares and wild supernatural elements. If you do, this might be a disappointing watch, which would be a shame, since it’s a really strong movie!

Continue reading our Nanny movie review below. Find it in select theaters from November 23 – and on Prime Video from December 16, 2022.

Anna Diop is amazing in the lead

The story in Nanny is very much character-driven, which in turn means the casting is even more important. Fortunately, Anna Diop (Us, Titans) is amazing as Aisha. Anna Diop is a Senegalese-American woman, who was born in Senegal, just as the character Aisha was.

MORE WITH ANNA DIOP

Check out the horror fantasy The Keeping Hours starring Lee Pace and Carrie Coon >

Michelle Monaghan (Echoes) co-stars in a key role with less screen time, but much impact. She’s the mother of the child Aisha (Anna Diop) becomes the nanny of. The child, Rose, is portrayed by Rose Decker who you might recognize from Mare of Easttown. She’ll also be in the next season of Servant.

Other key characters are portrayed by actors such as Morgan Spector (The Mist series), Sinqua Walls (Teen Wolf), and the fierce Leslie Uggams (Roots, Deadpool).

Based on many true stories

In large part, the life experiences of the main character, Aisha, are inspired by the mother of the film’s writer and director. This is not about her in particular but inspired by the experiences she had.

Domestic labor comes in many forms and being a nanny is one of them. In that sense, Nanny is just one woman’s story, but I hope we’ll be seeing a lot more of these stories. They are important beyond anything I can articulate here.

Their importance comes from the simple fact that those who are privileged enough to not have these experiences, need to acknowledge them!

Watch Nanny in select theaters now or on Prime Video soon!

Nikyatu Jusu is the writer and director of Nanny which is an amazingly strong feature film. This is her feature film debut, but Nikyatu Jusu has already made several short films – including a segment of Two Sentence Horror Stories.

She made the season 2 episode “Only Child”, which I commented on as “a horror story more than a comment on society”. This time, it’s more of a balance and it’s very efficient!

Jason Blum is a producer of the movie via Blumhouse, which should tell you that this has more edge than what you might expect from the plot. With a runtime of 1 hour and 38 minutes, you’ll be experiencing a few months in the life of one woman. But she represents millions.

NANNY is out in select theaters on November 23, and then globally on Prime Video on December 16, 2022.

Details

Director: Nikyatu Jusu
Writer: Nikyatu Jusu
Cast: Anna Diop, Michelle Monaghan, Sinqua Walls, Morgan Spector, Rose Decker, Leslie Uggams