This year’s Sundance Grand Jury winner arrived in cinemas last week, shining a light on an issue usually concealed in the shadows. A horror/thriller, Nanny focuses on undocumented workers.
It’s a film that seems to be set in the American Dream, with a career couple employing Aisha (Anna Diop), a teacher from Senegal, as a nanny for their little girl. Yet all is not what it seems. Aisha is working undocumented in the family’s home, so being paid for her work is always difficult. But it’s essential so she can send money home for her little boy. The strain between her and the couple – particularly the mother Amy (Michelle Monaghan) – begins to show and Aisha starts to be haunted by figures from West African folklore. Her life is becoming a nightmare.
In these exclusive interviews, Diop and Monaghan talk about their respective characters in the film, as well as building the relationship with each other that translates to the screen. And Diop also discusses playing the title role, one where she’s never off the screen but only had a fortnight to prepare for.
Nanny is released in selected cinemas on 25 November and on Prime Video on 16 December.
