Nanny

R

Released Nov 23, 2022

1 hr. 38 min.

Horror

Mystery & Thriller

TRAILER

for Nanny: Trailer 1

List

90%

143 Reviews

Tomatometer

68%

250+ Ratings

Audience Score

In this 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.

Read More

Read Less

Prime Video

Watch Nanny with a subscription on Prime Video.

Critics Consensus

Led by Anna Diop's strong central performance, the smartly disquieting Nanny is a promising debut for writer-director Nikyatu Jusu.

Read Critics Reviews

Cathrine A

Waste of my time. This film doesn't even deserve more of a description than that.

Rated 0.5 out of 5 stars

04/04/24

Full Review

Miche H

I really was into this movie and felt the actors did great and there's a good amount of emotional buildup - but the pacing was off. The beginning was so stretched out it lasted the entire movie which felt like just beating a dead horse after like the 5th vision she had - and then the end came at me so fast and like a bunch of huge things happened in 5 min. Disappointing cuz the beginning really had me going. Also SPOILER but I hate it when movies add sex scenes that sincerely aren't necessary. It really barely ever is necessary. It makes me feel like they don't really believe in the story they're trying to tell and they're just going for cheap excitement, but it's weird. Maybe just personal preference.

Rated 3 out of 5 stars

03/20/24

Full Review

Eli B

In a way, Nanny feels like Nikyatu Jusu getting as many of her ideas onto the screen as possible just in case she doesn't get another chance. It's visually haunting and striking, and worth a watch for that on its own. But it is also clunky in its delivery and doesn't have sharp enough teeth to sink into you before its gonzo third act. Full review: https://cinephilecorner.com/reviews/nanny-movie-2022/

Rated 3 out of 5 stars

03/17/24

Full Review

Ken B

Anna Diop delivered a great performance, but the rest of this movie just didn't resonate with me. The whole thing was slow and it just got stupid with all these convoluted "visions" and dreams that made absolutely no sense to me whatsoever! And I think it's rather silly with all the scary visions and bizarre sea creatures we're seeing, the best title they could come up with is NANNY?! Really?? Weird.

Rated 2 out of 5 stars

01/23/24

Full Review

Angel R

Although I am a newcomer when it comes to criticizing a movie. I could not be more disappointed upon watching this movie. I have no right to say whether the actors played their part correctly, but seeing this movie with "horror" and "mystery" I was thrilled. Watching it made me realize the premise itself was no real mystery it was as straightforward as it can get. The "horror" aspect wasn't to my liking, a few jump scares here and there and ominous music but that's about it. They also gave us no deep connection with some of the characters. The son a vital character in the plot of the movie had very few shots of him more voice lines than anything making me have no sort of emotional connection to him throughout the film. The cinematography was great though I had a blast looking around in the background and seeing all sorts of stuff. overall I didn't enjoy this film it wasn't to my taste, but to everyone, their own don't treat my opinion as fact as you may enjoy it.

Rated 1 out of 5 stars

12/10/23

Full Review

Eddie R

Looks nice but little to no plot. Not thrilling. I felt no emotion during it. It doesn't build up and the ending doesn't land.

Rated 0.5 out of 5 stars

12/07/23

Full Review

Read all reviews

Post a rating

Nikyatu Jusu

Director

Anna Diop

Aisha

Michelle Monaghan

Amy

Sinqua Walls

Malik

Morgan Spector

Adam

Rose Decker

Rose

Show Less Cast & Crew

Show More Cast & Crew

Nanny: Movie Clip - Spicy Food

1:13

Nanny: Exclusive Movie Clip - Water Nightmare

1:17

View more videos

71%

77%

Orphan: First Kill

TRAILER

for Orphan: First Kill

7%

30%

The Legend of La Llorona

TRAILER

for The Legend of La Llorona

96%

75%

birth/rebirth

TRAILER

for birth/rebirth

79%

77%

Smile

TRAILER

for Smile

93%

71%

Barbarian

TRAILER

for Barbarian

Discover more movies and TV shows.

View More

Nanny Director Nikyatu Jusu’s Five Favorite Films

Everything Everywhere All at Once and TÁR Lead Independent Spirit Awards

The 7 Best Films We Saw at the 2022 Sundance Film Festival

Nanny: Featurette - African Influences

1:30

Nanny: Trailer 1

1:53

View more videos

View more photos

Soraya Nadia McDonald

Andscape

Director Nikyatu Jusu’s haunting tale of immigrant sacrifice engulfs and beguiles.

Mar 16, 2023

Full Review

Ty Burr

Ty Burr's Watch List

An eerie, dreamlike drama of cultural displacement, class exploitation, and mythic surrealism...

Rated: 3/4

Jan 6, 2023

Full Review

Jake Wilson

The Age (Australia)

The basic elements of Nanny have a lot of promise, but they’re not woven together very convincingly. Most of the tension arises from the portrayal of a very mundane nightmare.

Rated: 2.5/5

Dec 17, 2022

Full Review

Lee Zumpe

Tampa Bay Newspapers

The overall effect is more disquieting than frightening.

Oct 26, 2023

Full Review

Jillian Chilingerian

Offscreen Central

By using layered storytelling and mystical visuals, Nikyatu Jusu blends horror and social issues to reimagine the American dream.

Jul 25, 2023

Full Review

Manuel São Bento

FILMHOUNDS Magazine

At the end of the day, Nikyatu Jusu shows tremendous skill and braveness by tackling one of the most demanding filmmaking tasks one could possibly confront, while carrying her own unique voice along the way.

Rated: B-

Jul 23, 2023

Full Review

Read all reviews

Synopsis

In this 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.

Director: Nikyatu Jusu
Executive Producer: Ryan Heller, Sumalee Montano, Grace Lay, Rebecca Cammarata, Nikyatu Jusu
Screenwriter: Nikyatu Jusu
Distributor: Amazon Studios
Production Co: Topic Studios, Blumhouse Television, Stay Gold Features, LinLay Productions
Rating: R (Brief Sexuality/Nudity|Some Language)
Genre: Horror, Mystery & Thriller
Original Language: English
Release Date (Theaters): Nov 23, 2022, Limited
Release Date (Streaming): Dec 16, 2022
Sound Mix: Dolby Digital

Most Popular at Home Now