Anger, “caucasity,” and motherhood. Those are some of the words that describe Nanny, a 2022 psychological drama/horror written and directed by American-Sierra Leonean filmmaker Nikyatu Jusu. The film stars Senegalese actress Anna Diop, who plays Aisha, an undocumented Senegalese immigrant living in New York City who just got a job as a nanny for a wealthy white couple and their daughter, Rose, with the hopes of making enough money to bring her son over from Senegal. 

If you’ve seen the 1966 classic, Black Girl, directed by the father of African cinema, Ousmane Sembène, you’ll see the many cues that Jusu takes from that movie in her work with Nanny. Both films delve into the eerie, uncomfortable, and “subtle” racism that we see far too often with white, upper-middle-class liberals, particularly against new immigrants. But Jusu employs the genre of horror, intertwining it with brilliant magical realism, colorwork, and inspiration from classic African folklore to showcase not only the subtle depravity of this white couple and their exploitation of Aisha, but also the horrors that haunt Aisha as well. 

The word horror, however, should be used with some leniency when it comes to describing the genre of this film. This isn’t your straightforward, in-your-face-with-jump-scares spook story. There’s tension, for sure, and Jusu builds that tension with some awe-inspiring cinematography, playing with hues of blues to drive home the metaphors of drowning; however, as the credits rolled, I felt as though that element of the film, that horror, wasn’t explored to the breadth of the film’s potential. Especially towards the end, where, although you think a harrowing climax is about to take place, one that completes Aisha’s character arc, resolutions instead start to transpire at a pace that felt far too rushed. 

Nevertheless, Jusu does a great job highlighting the African immigrant experience, particularly that of a working-class woman. From Aisha finding some solace with a pair of Nigerian nannies while out with Rose at the park, to the endless Tupperware containers of jollof rice, I felt as though I, as an immigrant myself, was experiencing a newfound kinship with a character and a background I wasn’t too familiar with.

It’s a film that’s beautifully shot, impeccably acted, and one I’m more than glad to include for this week’s edition of Pixel’s Picks.