Director Nikyatu Jusu has made her feature film debut. Babysit, a new horror film from the up-and-coming talent, will be released this fall. Blumhouse Productions produces in addition to Stay Gold Features, Topic Studios and LinLay Productions. Amazon Studios is set to handle the wide distribution rights. In addition to directing, Jusu also wrote the screenplay.
Jusu is best known for works that focus on the complex struggles black and immigrant women face in the United States. Her short film Suicide by sunlightcentered on a black vampire whose melanin protects her from the sun, premiered at the Sundance Film Festival in 2019. Now, the filmmaker looks set to follow that horror path with her latest venture, which also premiered at Sundance earlier this year.
With that, let’s look at everything we know about BabysitJusu’s directorial debut. What will the plot involve and what themes can be explored? Who’s in the cast? When and where can we expect a release to the public, while the film has premiered at Sundance? And what else should the public know about Nikyatu Jusu’s Babysit?
Nanny: the plot
Ever since Babysit premiere at Sundance earlier this year we have a general idea of what to expect from the plot. An official summary reads:
In this psychological horror fable of displacement, Aisha, a woman who recently emigrated from Senegal, is hired to care for the daughter of an affluent couple living in New York City. Haunted by the absence of the young son she left behind, hopes Aisha’s new job gives her the chance to bring him to the US, but becomes increasingly confused by the family’s erratic family life.As his arrival approaches, a violent presence begins to invade both her dreams and her reality, and threatens to painstakingly tie together the American dream that she is.”
An official trailer was released last week, giving the public a chance to see what Jusu has in store for us. The family immediately seems normal, maybe a little too much. The supernatural and horror elements quickly come to the fore and the audience must prepare for a wild ride. It’s evoking Jordan Peele vibes and it’s no surprise that Peele’s Monkeypaw Productions has already acquired Jusu’s next project after Babysit.
Jusu noted in an interview with IndieWire that she didn’t want to tell a traditional genre story, saying:
“I wanted to remix this story of a domestic experience with genre. A lot of the movies I love do that. I wanted to remix the American immigrant experience with genre. A lot of people have their way into that — whether you were raised by a nanny or your mother was one.”
Given the synopsis and Jusu’s own statements, the public can anticipate Babysit will tell an immigrant story through the lens of horror. With immigrants already facing significant problems, bolstering that with a horror story could make for an impressive film that really resonates with audiences. We’ll probably have to wait for more information to be released to see how this theory holds up.
Nanny: the cast
Anna Diop van U.S stars Aisha, the titular nanny and Senegalese immigrant. She works as a nanny to care for her son, hoping to take him from Senegal one day. Mission Impossible actor Michelle Monaghan plays Amy, the mother of the child Aisha is hired to babysit. The Gilded Age‘s Morgan Spector is her husband, Adam. Amy and Adam seem fine at first, but it soon becomes apparent that something isn’t right.
American soul star Sinqua Walls plays Malik, Aisha’s love interest. He is easy going and helps to keep Aisha grounded in the face of all her newfound struggles. Actor Rose Decker plays the role of Rose, the daughter of Amy and Adam and the child in the care of Aisha. Iconic actor and singer Leslie Uggams is Kathleen, Malik’s grandmother. She reportedly uses her spiritual connections to help Aisha understand what is happening to her.
Actor Zephani Idoko plays the role of Sallay and Princess Idenike is Nikki. These are the main protagonists in the film, with many supporting and background roles also confirmed. For details on existing characters and confirmation of additional roles, we’ll probably have to wait for more information.
Publication date
Babysit first premiered at the Sundance Film Festival on January 22, 2022. This is Jusu’s second film to premiere at the festival, after Suicide by sunlight in 2019. In March 2022, the distribution rights to the film were acquired by Amazon Studios and Blumhouse Productions. The film will also be screened at the Toronto International Film Festival before its wide release.
Babysit will receive a limited theatrical release on November 23, 2022, just in time for the potentially lucrative Thanksgiving weekend market. After that limited release, the film will stream on Amazon Prime Video on December 16, 2022.