One of our beloved Black TV and film matriarchs is starring in a new supernatural thriller, y’all!
According to Deadline, Phylicia Rashad has been cast in Nanny, Nikyatu Jusu’s feature directorial debut starring Anna Diop, Michelle Monaghan, Sinqua Walls and Morgan Spector.
More info about the upcoming film, via Deadline:
The film follows Aisha, an undocumented nanny (Diop) who takes a job working for a wealthy Manhattan family on the Upper East Side in the hopes that she may earn enough money to bring her six-year-old son from West Africa to live with her in New York. Aisha finds herself caring for the privileged child of Adam (played by Spector) and Amy (played by Monaghan).
As Aisha prepares for the arrival of her young son, a violent supernatural presence invades her reality, threatening the “American Dream” she so painstakingly pieced together. The film’s use of West African folklore breathes fresh air into the genre, illustrating ways in which this aspirational dream can torment one’s reality. Rashad plays Kathleen, the matriarch of her family and is a spiritual conduit – an unofficial bridge to the supernatural.
Jusu also penned the script for Nanny, which was a selection of the 2019 Sundance Institute Creative Producing Lab & Summit. The film was also chosen as part of Sundance’s 2020 Writer’s Lab and the 2020 Director’s Lab. Jusu has history at Sundance, as her vampire horror short film Suicide by Sunlight was a part of the U.S. Narrative Shorts Competition at the 2019 Sundance Film Festival. Jusu will serve as executive producer for the film, as well.
What especially stands out about this film in this particular genre is that it’s told from the perspective of an undocumented Black woman—whose voice definitely deserves more of a platform, especially given the current and ongoing conversations surrounding immigration in the U.S. and how Black immigrants are affected. I’m looking forward to it.