Written and directed by Sundance Grand Jury Winner Nikyatu Jusu, Nanny is a psychological horror fable of displacement. Aisha (Anna Diop), a woman who recently emigrated from Senegal, is hired to care for the daughter of an affluent couple (Michelle Monaghan and Morgan Spector) living in New York City. Haunted by the absence of the young son she left behind, Aisha hopes her new job will afford her the chance to bring him to the U.S., but becomes increasingly unsettled by the family’s volatile home life. As his arrival approaches, a violent presence begins to invade both her dreams and her reality, threatening the American dream she is painstakingly piecing together. Jusu blends elements of African folklore for a celebration of the beauty and brilliance of the African diaspora.
In an interview with FANGORIA, Jusu talked about the journey to bringing Nanny to fruition, “This is a project that I have chipped away at for around eight-ish years, on and off. And it wasn’t like eight consecutive years. It was me getting in my own head, you know, feeling like this was too singular, this was too niche [for the industry]. Nobody would finance this. And then my producing partner, Nikkia Moulterie came along, and we just took to each other, and Nikkia-no matter how many other ideas I had- would nudge me about Nanny. ‘Just revisit it, we’ll figure it out, we’ll find the financing.’ And finally, everything kind of came together once I came together with the story. So it started as a straightforward drama.”
Check out the trailer below.
Nanny hits theaters on November 23, and Prime Video December 16.
