An immigrant from Senegal moves to the US and gets a job as a nanny. But after the main character begins to raise a child from a family living on the Upper East Side of New York, dark secrets of the past begin to creep out into the light. And now an unknown danger threatens to destroy the American dream of a nanny.
It’s even surprising that after the premiere at the Sundance Film Festival, the horror film “The Nanny” by aspiring director Nikiata Jusu attracted everyone’s attention. The film company Blumhouse hurried to buy the novelty, and then the Amazon Prime Video streaming service acquired the rights to an exclusive show. It would seem, why such an interest in a banal and rather standard story about a difficult immigrant life?
In fact, during the viewing, and even after the final credits, it is difficult to understand what exactly attracted film critics and the most influential people in Hollywood. Like it or not, but Nikiata Jusu turned out to be a truly average and even passing film, which at once tries to sit on two chairs – a serious social drama about the hardships of moving to another country and attempts to integrate into a modern society that lives by its own laws and rules, and mythological horror that relies on the psychology of confrontation with revived (at least in the imagination of the main character) metaphors and other vivid images.
But, as is usually the case with inexperienced directors, during the filming, Jusu did not understand which motive was closer to her. And as a result, “Nanny” loses at once in both directions. As a drama, a movie does not work at all and does not so much immerse the main character in the problems as it puts her to sleep. And rare “frightening” (namely in quotation marks) episodes are not able to stir even the most nervous viewers.
And even though the first act turned out to be really atmospheric and dense – in a good sense, “viscous”, – then the narrative completely and completely goes out of the author’s control. And after half an hour, “Nanny” rolls into some not very meaningful throwing, which is constantly interrupted by confused and rather meaningless hallucinations.
One could refer to one’s own stupidity and lack of understanding of the author’s deep intention, but the trouble and the main problem of “Nanny” is precisely that the main idea lies on the surface and cannot boast of much freshness. And all flirting with symbolism and folklore turns into completely meaningless exercises. More precisely, tests for spectator erudition.
It’s also doubtful that fans of slowburners or genre dramas with bells and whistles will also be able to get at least a grain of pleasure while watching The Babysitter. Nikiatu Jusu does not make any attempts at all to go beyond the limits outlined by his predecessors, and generously spends time on insipid and familiar scenes. And at the same time avoids any attempts to give out something shocking and spectacular. What kind of cult claim is there that observers love to talk about so much?
So it turns out that “The Nanny” is not a horror film or a drama, but a standard pretentious passer-by who was lucky enough to light up at one of the largest film festivals and attract the attention of influential Hollywood producers. The cinema is not able to give out food for thought or entertainment – it is only ready to ruthlessly kill your time.
Nanny Ending Explanation: Did Aisha Fulfill Her Dream? What was the significance of Mami Wata in her life? What will end?
The first night she stayed with Amy, she vividly dreamed of water being poured on her in her bedroom. She seemed to be in another reality. Later, she noticed a strange figure in the East River. The image was accompanied by the crying of an infant, evoking a sense of danger. Aisha noticed a painting of Mami Wata in Malik’s house. His grandmother explained that the mermaid-like mythological figure is known to attract sexuality, money, and promises of fertility. Pieces are considered dangerous, unpredictable and fickle.
When she took Rose to the park, she noticed Lamin there, but when she got closer to him, he was gone. She faced another odd occasion when Adam tried to kiss her. Her reflection in the mirror looked back at her, judging her for the situation she was in. One day she imagined a snake sliding across her bed and sliding over her body. Since Mami Wata is often accompanied by a snake, we can assume that this was another instance of Aisha stumbling upon the figure. It seemed that the supernatural world was in some way blaming Aisha for being estranged from her son. She worked hard to provide her son with a better life, but at the same time, she couldn’t be there for him. Aisha was also frustrated by the constant delays in her payment.
She was not submissive and did not shy away from demanding what she rightfully deserved. Although Adam paid her a percentage of the money they owed her, she did not receive full payment. that she was estranged from her son. She worked hard to provide her son with a better life, but at the same time, she couldn’t be there for him. Aisha was also frustrated by the constant delays in her payment. She was not submissive and did not shy away from demanding what she rightfully deserved. Although Adam paid her a percentage of the money they owed her, she did not receive full payment. that she was estranged from her son. She worked hard to provide her son with a better life, but at the same time, she couldn’t be there for him. Aisha was also frustrated by the constant delays in her payment. She was not submissive and did not shy away from demanding what she rightfully deserved. Although Adam paid her a percentage of the money they owed her, she did not receive full payment.
In the pool with Rose, Aisha felt a sudden urge to dive into the pool. Her reality shifted and she noticed that it was night and there was no one else around the pool. Mami Wata was in the pool with her, their mermaid-like body floating around Aisha. They dragged her into the water, and she saw glimpses of the past and a possible future – motherhood. She returned to her reality after being pulled from the pool.
One morning, Amy got into an argument with Aisha when she noticed that Aisha was feeding Rose the food she had brought from home. Amy was furious, but Aisha had a reason for her choice. She opened the refrigerator and showed that there was no food left in the house. Amy suffered from depression due to her hard work and the absence of her husband. She barely had the time and energy to take care of Rose. Amy was jealous of Aisha’s closeness with her daughter; the bond she couldn’t form with Rose was one that Aisha built with ease. Their daughter was with them, but they had little time to take care of her. Meanwhile, Aisha was unwittingly forced to leave her son and counted every penny to bring him to the States and keep him by her side. Aisha brazenly demanded the amount due to her.
The constant delays with her son and the visions she often encountered made Aisha nervous. She began to lose her temper with Rose. That night, while preparing a bath for Rose, Aisha heard strange voices. She began to break away from reality and kept a knife near her, believing that their lives were in danger. She heard the screams of the people Adam was photographing and clutched the knife in her hand. Blood dripped from her hand, and in a moment of panic, she slipped on the water that had spilled from the tub. Her body was drawn to the water, and no matter how hard she tried to resist, she couldn’t. She forced herself to raise the knife and attack the force, and that’s when she snapped back to reality and saw Rose sitting in the tub.
Emotionally traumatized, she held Rose close to her. While putting her to bed, Rose mentioned that it was Lamin who wanted Aisha to kill Rose out of jealousy. Aisha was surprised; she asked why Rose thinks so. She replied that Anansi had told her that it was her fault. Aisha read Anansi: The Spider to Rose before bed. Anansi, a mythological trickster character, is known for taking revenge on offenders. Maybe Aisha was being punished for leaving her son and not fighting hard enough to get him back, or it really was Lamin’s pure jealousy that made him jealous of his mother’s relationship with Rose.
The next morning, Aisha found her paycheck on the table. Adam left her a voicemail telling her that he had taken Rose out for breakfast and paid off her debts. Though she was happy knowing that she could now afford Lamin’s ticket, she stared at the security camera installed in the living room. Perhaps wondering if she would get the job after they checked out the manic episode she had experienced the previous night. Without thinking, Aisha bought tickets for her son and cousin and waited for them at the airport on the day they arrived.
But oddly enough, she couldn’t find them. She called her cousin from outside the airport and heard her phone ring. Approaching her, she noticed that Lamin was not there. Aisha broke down when her cousin informed her that her son had drowned at sea and died. They decided not to share the news with her over the phone. Maybe if she could have bought the tickets sooner, his life would have been spared. Could she blame Amy and Adam for their negligence for his death, or was it just fate?
Aisha was completely devastated. The visions tried to inform Aisha of her son’s imminent demise. Each motif was an indication of death. Despite the fact that she was not informed of the death of her son, she, as a mother, had to endure the horror that her son experienced. Aisha lost her will to live and tried to commit suicide by drowning. Maybe it was her desperate attempt to reunite with her lost son. Plunging deep into the water, she saw the body of her son floating. She began to float to the surface and reached out to take his hand.
That morning, Mami Wata saved her life and gave her a reason to live. After the rescue, doctors told her that she was pregnant. In a way, Lamin was with her now. She gave birth and was loved by Malik and his grandmother. Mami Wata blessed her with a good life, testing her devotion and love for her son. Or maybe, Lamin was the price Aisha had to pay for a stable future. The loss of her first son will never be erased from her life. There will be days when she will struggle to forgive herself for not doing enough to protect her child.
The Nanny explores the struggles of a black immigrant mother forced to live away from her son. The recurring visions made the ending quite predictable, and the horror element didn’t impress. Some themes and characters could be deepened. The Babysitter isn’t a memorable psychological horror film, but at the same time it’s worth watching for Anna Diop’s impressive performance as Aisha and the general experimentation with the genre.
