Premiering as part of the U.S. dramatic competition at the 2022 Sundance Film Festival, "Nanny" combines a domestic drama with elements of folklore and horror filmmaking to create an unsettling examination of work, privilege and perseverance.
Written and directed by Nikyatu Jusu, the film follows Senegalese immigrant Aisha (Anna Diop), who takes a job as a nanny for a wealthy New York City couple, Amy and Adam (Michelle Monaghan and Morgan Spector), with hopes of saving enough money to have her son join her in America. As Aisha finds herself caught in the dynamics of Amy and Adam's distant, unhappy marriage, she begins to feel a supernatural presence invading and tormenting her life.
The film is the feature debut for Jusu, who was previously at the festival in 2019 with her short film "Suicide by Sunlight." As part of this year's virtual Times Talks @ Sundance, sponsored by Chase Sapphire, Jusu was joined by Diop, Monaghan and producer Nikkia Moulterie to discuss the film.
