by Anubhuti Kumar
“Nasty Baby” revolves around the intense desire of the main female character, a doctor played by Kristen Wiig, to have a baby. Though this may seem cliché in the realm of romantic comedies, writer director Sebastian Silva depicts on the big screen a relatively unexplored genre.
Silva’s character Freddy is an artist who lives in Brooklyn with his boyfriend Mo, played by Tunde Adebimpe. For the past five months he and his best friend Polly (Wiig) have been trying to have a baby, yet they finally find out that Freddy will probably never be able to have a child and look to Mo for help. As the story follows their lives for the next few weeks, it takes some interesting and startling twists and turns.
A drama that premiered at Sundance, this film takes an intriguing look at three friends trying to depart from the traditional ideas of a family and together dealing with the trials, tribulations, and disappointments that come their way. Their quirky Brooklyn neighborhood and kooky neighbors play a huge role in this story, with the area almost taking on a life of its own.
The story of the group trying to start a family always seems to be complicated by a man who lives in the neighborhood and seems to be mentally ill. From blowing leaves and waking up the entire block at 6 AM to insisting on helping people carry their belongings to the point of attacking them, he seems harmless enough at first but more and more easily triggered as the story continues, leaving an air of mystery and suspense surrounding the situation.
The drama starts out slow, depicting the relatively mundane lives of the colorful characters in a format suggestive of a hand held camera, and it is very easy to begin to lose interest, but those who watch from start to finish will not be disappointed. The thought provoking plot and morally ambiguous actions of the characters leave the audience with a revealing ending to ponder and question.
With this definite departure for Kristen Wiig from her best-known “Saturday Night Live” days, fans of her comic antics might be left disappointed. Yet those looking for a plot along the lines of her recent explorations into drama, like “The Skeleton Twins”, will surely find that. She very skillfully uses her abundance of acting talent to successfully portray a young New Yorker trying to make for herself the life she wants while dealing with the judgment of those around her.
“Nasty Baby” is a drama that takes very efficiently after its name. Like a baby it can be a tiring experience at times but in the end is well worth the endeavor.
Anubhuti Kumar is a Staff Writer. Email him at film@nyunews.com
