Earth to Films
  • Home
  • About
  • Blog
    • Index
  • TIFF
    • 2022 >
      • 'Causeway' Review
      • 'The Lost King' Review
      • 'Wendell & Wild' Review
      • 'The Inspection' Review
      • 'The Menu' Review
      • 'Maya and the Wave' Review
      • 'The Grab' Review
      • 'Rosie' Review
      • 'Butcher's Crossing' Review
    • 2021 >
      • Debut Features Shine At TIFF 2021
      • 'The Guilty' Review
      • 'Spencer' Review
      • 'Scarborough' Review
      • 'The Power of the Dog' Review
      • 'Spencer' Capsule Review
      • 'Ste. Anne' Review
      • 'Quickening' Capsule Review
      • 'Aloners' Review
      • 'As In Heaven' Review
      • 'Petite Maman' Review
      • 'Silent Land' Review
    • 2020 >
      • TIFF 2020: Best of the Fest
      • 'Nomadland' Review
      • 'Shiva Baby' Review
      • 'One Night in Miami' Review
      • 'Beans' Review
      • 'Wolfwalkers' Review
      • 'No Ordinary Man' Review
      • 'Another Round' Review
      • 'Inconvenient Indian' Review
      • 'Pieces of a Woman' Review
      • 'Lift Like A Girl' Review
  • CFF
    • 2023 >
      • Review: Desi Standard Time Travel
      • Review: Babysitter
    • 2022 >
      • Review: Beneath the Surface
      • Review: Not My Age
    • 2021 >
      • Review: The Last Villains, Mad Dog & the Butcher
      • Review: Sugar Daddy
      • Review: White Elephant
      • Review: Woman In Car
  • FOFS
    • 2021 >
      • Review: Flower Boy
      • Review: Parlour Palm
      • Review: This Is A Period Piece
      • Review: Wash Day
  • Interviews
    • Kaniehtiio Horn on 'Ghost BFF'
    • Vanessa Matsui on 'Ghost BFF'
    • Macey Chipping on 'Mystic'
  • Contact

cff 2023: 'babysitter' review

3/28/2023

0 Comments

 
By @nadreviews
Picture
Nadia Tereszkiewicz in "Babysitter" (2023)
     Following its world premiere at the 2022 Sundance Film Festival, “Babysitter” is arriving in Toronto to kick off this year’s Canadian Film Fest (CFF). The CFF is an indie-spirited festival dedicated to celebrating Canadian filmmakers. The festival returns this spring for its 17th edition, and for the first time, as a hybrid with both in-person and virtual screenings. This year’s slate has a strong focus on women in film, both in front of and behind the camera. “Babysitter,” directed by Monia Chokri and written by Catherine Léger, confronts misogyny with a sardonic point of view. The story follows Cédric (Patrick Hivon), who after committing sexual assault and losing his job, attempts to “free” himself from sexism by co-writing a book to attack misogyny. His wife Nadine (Chokri), a new mother exhausted by his behavior and in search of her own fulfillment, becomes drawn to their child’s babysitter Amy (Nadia Tereszkiewicz). Amy’s presence creates a more mysterious, playful environment. As Cédric and Nadine drift further apart, their lives become more and more like a fever dream.

    The film plays up qualities of dreamlike strangeness, from the technicolor set pieces and cinematography, to the exaggerated acting. There is a cartoonish, eccentric energy to Chokri’s direction. The characters feel like caricatures instead of human beings. The costumes and sets have a coat of plasticity to them, not unlike pieces you would find in a doll’s house. While “Babysitter” has a specific vision aesthetically, the film lacks in a coherent narrative structure. Adapted from Catherine Léger’s 2017 play of the same name, Chokri’s genre-bending approach explores themes of toxic masculinity and gender politics through elements of horror and comedy. The use of different genres has its intriguing moments, particularly with the babysitter character who channels satire fairly well. However, the potentiality of this film resonating in its social commentary is overpowered by inconsistent direction and over-exaggerated performances.

    “Babysitter” often difficult to follow and keep engaged by, which makes one curious for how the film could have worked better through a different perspective. By centering Cédric as the protagonist, the story is told largely from his point of view as he attempts to apologize for his sexist behavior. This relegates a far more interesting character to the background: Nadine. While she isn’t given much material to work with, Chokri brings an enjoyable stoicism to the character and maintains the film’s magical realism. Nadia Tereszkiewicz’s performance as Amy fits the fairytale-like directorial style; rather than a character who advances the plot, the babysitter appears to be a figment of one’s imagination. Of the cast, Chokri and Tereszkiewicz stand out in balancing the film’s erratic tone. The rest of the ensemble leans too far into exaggeration, reaching the point where they distract from the story. This is the case for the majority of factors at play in “Babysitter.” While refreshing in its genre-bending approach, and full of energy, the muddled screenplay and unfocused direction make for a wearying experience.
0 Comments



Leave a Reply.

    Archives

    April 2025
    March 2025
    February 2025
    January 2025
    December 2024
    November 2024
    October 2024
    September 2024
    August 2024
    July 2024
    June 2024
    May 2024
    April 2024
    February 2024
    October 2023
    September 2023
    July 2023
    June 2023
    May 2023
    April 2023
    March 2023
    February 2023
    January 2023
    October 2022
    September 2022
    August 2022
    July 2022
    June 2022
    May 2022
    April 2022
    March 2022
    February 2022
    January 2022
    December 2021
    November 2021
    October 2021
    September 2021
    August 2021
    July 2021
    June 2021
    May 2021
    April 2021
    March 2021
    February 2021
    January 2021
    December 2020
    November 2020
    October 2020
    September 2020
    August 2020

    Categories

    All

    RSS Feed

Proudly powered by Weebly
  • Home
  • About
  • Blog
    • Index
  • TIFF
    • 2022 >
      • 'Causeway' Review
      • 'The Lost King' Review
      • 'Wendell & Wild' Review
      • 'The Inspection' Review
      • 'The Menu' Review
      • 'Maya and the Wave' Review
      • 'The Grab' Review
      • 'Rosie' Review
      • 'Butcher's Crossing' Review
    • 2021 >
      • Debut Features Shine At TIFF 2021
      • 'The Guilty' Review
      • 'Spencer' Review
      • 'Scarborough' Review
      • 'The Power of the Dog' Review
      • 'Spencer' Capsule Review
      • 'Ste. Anne' Review
      • 'Quickening' Capsule Review
      • 'Aloners' Review
      • 'As In Heaven' Review
      • 'Petite Maman' Review
      • 'Silent Land' Review
    • 2020 >
      • TIFF 2020: Best of the Fest
      • 'Nomadland' Review
      • 'Shiva Baby' Review
      • 'One Night in Miami' Review
      • 'Beans' Review
      • 'Wolfwalkers' Review
      • 'No Ordinary Man' Review
      • 'Another Round' Review
      • 'Inconvenient Indian' Review
      • 'Pieces of a Woman' Review
      • 'Lift Like A Girl' Review
  • CFF
    • 2023 >
      • Review: Desi Standard Time Travel
      • Review: Babysitter
    • 2022 >
      • Review: Beneath the Surface
      • Review: Not My Age
    • 2021 >
      • Review: The Last Villains, Mad Dog & the Butcher
      • Review: Sugar Daddy
      • Review: White Elephant
      • Review: Woman In Car
  • FOFS
    • 2021 >
      • Review: Flower Boy
      • Review: Parlour Palm
      • Review: This Is A Period Piece
      • Review: Wash Day
  • Interviews
    • Kaniehtiio Horn on 'Ghost BFF'
    • Vanessa Matsui on 'Ghost BFF'
    • Macey Chipping on 'Mystic'
  • Contact