Film Review – Nanny

“Nanny” is being marketed as something of a horror film, but it isn’t one. At least not in the traditional sense, with monsters in the dark and danger lurking all around. Writer/director Nikyatu Jusu only uses such imagery to amplify the main character’s headspace, examining the struggles of a Senegalese mother trying to earn money for a chance to reunite with her son, doing so by accepting work raising a different child. “Nanny” has its flashes of violence and a certain fear factor, but all of this noisiness tends to block the view of an interestingly spare but effective summary of employment exploitation when it comes to the immigrant experience. Genuine suspense is summoned in unusual ways, with Jusu showing more confidence with realism than symbolism, depicting an uncomfortable situation of denial while also managing the developing pain of a mother who can’t reach her own child. Read the rest at Blu-ray.com