Nanny is a new movie on Amazon that is a slow burn, but one worth seeing. It won’t be for everyone because of its pacing, but the story it tells is an important one. By mixing west African folklore with the mundane ritual of every day, this film challenges the fantasized American dream and replaces it with a more bleak reality.
Aisha moves to New York to work as a nanny for a rich family. She hopes to use the money from this job to bring her son to America so that he can have a chance at a better life. But life in America isn’t as easy as it seems. Aisha finds herself working long hours and constantly having to fight her employer for payment. The only relationship that she has with her family back home is through voicemails, videos, and photographs. The isolation she feels as she misses her family and home begin to take their toll on her psyche. It is a well-done narrative about an experience that is often overlooked.
The movie is great, but it is slow and quiet. The pacing and the silence help create a truly isolating experience, one that grows in intensity the deeper you get into the movie. Its clever use of folklore and fantastical imagery illustrates Aisha’s non-verbal struggle masterfully. Her emotions and longings come, breaking the barrier between reality and emotion.
But this movie doesn’t just explore the world through the experience of a Nanny, it challenges the American fairy tale. The film takes the isolating existence of immigrant life and contrasts it against a struggling working-class family. Her employer struggles in a male-dominated world while tolerating her husband’s insecurities. The movie’s focus is on Aisha, but the movie masterfully sprinkles enough bites of dysfunction to completely shatter American idealism.
This isn’t a story that is new to the American landscape, but it is an important one to tell. Nanny is well-acted, beautifully directed, and well-told. It might be a bit slow and a little too artsy for its own good, but it is one I need to recommend. You can stream it on Amazon, and I recommend that you at least give it a try.
Now for a shameless plug, check out Canva. If you need a quick and easy photo or video editor that works in your browser, try Canva. It is free, easy to use, and you get access to a wide selection of templates for those who are like me and aren’t that creative. Check out my affiliate link today! You can also try Amazon Prime with my Affiliate link!
Series Review: Shining Girls (2022)
If you haven’t watched Shining Girls, you need to stop reading this and check it out now. This well-made and confusing mystery is worth every twist and turns it throws at you. You can stream it now on Apple TV. Trust me, this show is at least worth the free trial.
Years after her assault, Kirby is still having trouble adjusting to life. She plans to move to Florida in hopes that starting anew will help ease her trauma. But before she can make her move, a recent murder of a woman changes the course of her destiny. The details of this new murder are frighteningly familiar to hers. Could this murder lead to the identity of her assailant? Determined to put an end to her nightmare, Kirby must now piece together a mystery that gets more confusing the more she uncovers. Will she be able to solve the mystery of her assailant, or is this whole ordeal an obsession-induced delusion?
This show understands how to establish proper tension. If you are not at the edge of your seat throughout this series, you are not paying attention. This is a disorienting trip that gets more confusing as you go. It all makes sense in the end, but you might need to watch this show a couple of times to catch some of the nuances. I liked that I was consistently confused throughout this series because this confusion is frightening. Kirby doesn’t know what is going on and it scares her. We get to experience a similar fear.
What really makes this show work so well is the acting. Elisabeth Moss is a fantastic actress, and watching her cement herself in this genre has been a treat. The fear she emotes helps create the tension that drives this narrative. The chemistry with the rest of the cast is what gives this show its substance. Together they create one of the strangest thrillers I have seen this year. We cannot ignore Jamie Bell’s frightening performance as the series’ villain. Without him, we wouldn’t have the compelling narrative this turns into. You should at the very least be watching this show for the acting. I wish I could say more, but I don’t want to ruin it.
If you are a fan of thrillers and mysteries and don’t mind being confused, check out Shinning Girls on Apple TV.
If you would like to support what I do or help with my hosting fees:
Or check out my amazon affiliate links:
Apple TV is Currently on Sale
Or Get a Fire Stick
You can also read the book this series is based off of. You know its always better!
Series Review: Surface (2022)
Image by Michal Jarmoluk from Pixabay
Surface has to be one of the most disappointing psychological thrillers I have ever watched. While it may play around with some interesting concepts, it falls flat and even has the gal to sequel bait. If you have an Apple TV subscription, I suggest you skip this series.
After a failed attempt at suicide, Sophie finds herself alive but without any of her memories. Now she must begin her life anew as she scrambles to reclaim her memories and learn who she was. However, her search becomes complicated as she begins to uncover the dark secrets that surround her life. Will she ever be able to make sense of her past? Will she be able to become who she once was? Will she like what she discovers?
The acting is okay, but there are some cringe-worthy line reads that are hard to overlook. The pacing is a huge problem, and the show will often rely on sex to act as filler. The series has some interesting twists but chooses to do nothing with them. Instead, you follow Sophie down a convoluted rabbit hole that leads to disappointment. The show ends on a cliffhanger, but not one strong enough to keep me invested in the series. I will honestly forget that I watched it when the second season comes around.
This show has a cool premise. I liked that the main character is piecing together her own mystery. Each piece gives Sohpie new perspectives and theories, but none of them ever make her whole. Whenever she begins to get a grasp on her reality, some new piece of evidence proves her wrong, and she has to start over. This of course becomes very convoluted.
I liked that there is a separation between Sophie’s identity post and pre-suicide attempt. It is an interesting way of looking at personality because it begs to question of who the real Sophie is. The more she finds out, the bigger the separation grows between who she believes she is and who she actually was. Unfortunately, this show isn’t as interesting as its concept. Instead, this is a slogging series of misdirections. Skip it.
If you want to support what I do, check out my affiliate links:
Start your free trial at Gamefly
The Patient (2022): Initial Thoughts
Image by Sammis Reachers from Pixabay
The Patient is a new psychological thriller starring Steve Carrell. The show is on a weekly release, and you can stream it on Hulu. I suggest you wait for more episodes to release because although the acting is excellent, the first two episodes don’t leave much of an impression.
The story follows a therapist named Alan who has been kidnapped and kept prisoner by a murderer, Sam. Alan is forced to live his days chained into a room while he is forced to help Sam with his therapy. Sam doesn’t want to be a murderer, and kidnapping Alan seems to be his only option for getting better. Trapped in this room, Alan must deal with a person that is clearly unstable while he wrestles with his own demons. Will Alan be able to help Sam and earn his freedom, or will he become another victim?
The show is just okay. The acting is great, and the setting is neat, but the story doesn’t do enough to hook its audience. The first two episodes are set up for the series. You are introduced to Alan and get a sense of his specialization as a therapist through a series of sessions. These sessions are often disturbed by flashbacks that paint Alan as a flawed person who still needs to work through his own issues. You are also introduced to Sam, and slowly through their many conversations, get a sense of his motivations. Both actors have terrific chemistry and work well with each other. The isolation created in the house helps set the mood, but these two episodes are rather slow. I fear that releasing this show weekly might hurt the engagement of this show because it isn’t anything special yet. There is potentially based on the cast, but it seems too early to know for sure. A show like this needs better pacing if it is going to be successful.
The second episode ends on an obvious cliffhanger that does nothing for my curiosity. I will keep watching because I have to, but you should wait until there’s more to the series.
Movie Review: Men (2022)
I enjoyed Men, but I find it difficult to recommend because of its pacing. While the movie is beautiful, it is a slow burn that won’t be for everyone.
Harper is dealing with the recent suicide of her husband.
In an effort to get over this trauma, she decides to spend some time in the beautiful English countryside. She slowly begins to find peace in her isolation, but strange things begin to unfold. Something is up with the men around her, but will she find out what before it is too late?
Mechanically, this movie is great. The acting is fantastic, the score is phenomenal, the imagery is beautiful, and the horror is well done. This is a unique horror movie in that it doesn’t rely on cheap jump scares. The horror comes from the uncomfortable and confusing situations it creates. The isolations, the aggressive men, and the weirdness that carries through the movie all come together to create a very ominous tone. The problem is that sometimes it takes too long for anything to happen.
If you have seen Hereditary or Midsommar you are familiar with the slow-moving imagery that is woven throughout the film. It is often cryptic and adds meaning to the narrative. In this movie, for example, there is a slow-moving closeup of a statue whose visage acts as foreshadowing for events that will occur later in the film. It’s an interesting form of storytelling that I appreciate, but its effectiveness has worn off. This movie didn’t need this much imagery. It almost feels like filler because of how often it would happen. I am sure that if you weave these scenes together and take the time to study them, they create a more meaningful narrative, but as a filthy casual, I don’t have time for that. I just want to sit back and enjoy a good horror movie.
If you have the patience for the pacing and enjoy these odd horror movies with their even stranger twists, Man is a solid choice. If you just want some mindless horror to enjoy on a Friday night, this isn’t for you.
TV Series Review: Chloe (2022)
Amazon has seriously upped its game when it comes to its original programming. There are enough new originals begging for your time, and Chloe is one that is well worth yours. This psychological thriller will keep you at the edge of your seat as you watch Becky trying to piece together the truth of her childhood friend’s death. This is all I can say without spoiling your experience, but believe me, when I say that this is a ride worth getting on.
The show has a fantastic cast to tell a very fascinating narrative full of twists, lies, and missunderstandings. With each new piece of evidence found, your assumptions and perspective will constantly change until the big reveal at the end. It is a wonderful build-up to a pretty satisfying ending. This show deals with a few dark themes as it contrasts the fantasy that is created through social media against the dark reality of the life that happens in between the pictures. This is a psychological thriller so be prepared for dreams, memories, and delusions to blend into the narrative. It is masterfully done as it is able to tell a unique story that will keep most guessing till the end.
If you like mysteries, drama, and thrillers, this is a great one. Best of all, there are no annoying cliffhangers. This narrative is nicely packaged into one concise season. Watch this on Amazon if you have a prime membership.
