‘The Captive Nanny’ Review: A twisted drama thriller that will haunt you with its chilling narrative
Lifetime’s thriller movie lineup seems to have up their ante. With every new project, the suspense and thrill factors go up a notch. The network’s latest release, ‘The Captive Nanny’ fits the bill just right on point! The movie checks off all the attributes that make for a good thriller. But before we get further into the filmmaking and how apt it was for its definition, here’s a little background on what the story is all about. Chloe (Karynn Moore) is a professional nanny, who spent 15 years serving families raise their kids. And now she wants to adopt a child of her own. But raising a child calls for a lot of commitment, and demands time and financial resources, among many others. So Chloe decides to work for a wealthy family, where she gets to be a live-in nanny.
Emily (Austin Highsmith) and Michael Brown (Michael Aaron Milligan) seem to be quite normal, perhaps a bit more protective about their son, Tommy (Judah Paul). As Chloe keeps observing, Emily’s over-protective nature borders on paranoia. Extra high security, coded locks on all doors, and strict timelines of going out and coming in start to raise Chloe’s curiosity, until she finds out what the deal is. What appears to be Emily’s worry of her stalker ex-boyfriend, turns out to be hers instead, making her keep everything and everyone inside the house, including locking up her son’s nanny. This is where the story starts to get interesting. As the plot thickens, Chloe is treated like a prisoner, almost to the extent of being tortured, until she decides she needs to find a way to get out of the trap.
Throughout the 90 minutes of the movie, if there is one consistent thing that plays through is the continuous element of thrill that will keep you on the edge of the seat. This is done through the constant twist of character arcs and the subplots. The camera work and background score definitely adds to the effect, giving you the feeling of “what’s going to happen next?” at every turn of events. The handheld camera work in certain segments might not seem pleasant to the eyes for many viewers, but it only enhances the suspense effect of the plot, especially, during candid scenes and close-up shots of Emily and Chloe, their arguments, and intense conversations. This is where we must talk about the brilliant work by the leading female stars, Highsmith and Moore. In fact, it is these two characters, Chloe and Emily who drive the story, overriding everyone else’s presence.
‘The Captive Nanny’ touches upon over-protective parenting, paranoia, gaslighting, adoption, and similar issues that are significant and makes for a good thriller movie with its powerful storytelling. No matter which of these angles you want to pick to perceive the movie, it will haunt you with its narrative for a long time to come. A movie well made and well told, Lifetime has once again aced its drama thriller genre!
‘The Captive Nanny’ aired May 30, 8 pm/7c on Lifetime.