Review of Nancy (2018) by Hector V — 22 Aug 2018

Nancy is a film that keeps one guessing during its cold, mundane happenings. But what could have been a sharp thriller film instead manifests itself as a close character piece that, while lacking some oomph, feels very true to itself.

Restraint is the name of the game with Nancy. Cold wintery tones adorn the screen as if to reconcile Nancy the character's lonely isolation, a feeling intensified by the film's subdued performances. Steve Buscemi and J. Smith-Cameron likely show the most raw emotion of the three main castmates as Nancy's prospective biological parents, but even then there's enough ambiguity between their two performances that it's hard to tell if the two are excited, suspicious, or a mix of both. Buscemi is particularly nuanced in his affect towards Nancy and is only second to the title role played so hauntingly well by Andrea Riseborough.

Riseborough herself is fantastic. The film's ambiguous presentation makes it hard to discern if Nancy is scamming the couple or is genuinely looking for a miraculous opportunity, especially given the series of circumstances making up the film's first act. As disturbed as Nancy may seem, Riseborough always gives her character some light in the back of the eyes that makes her seem like a real, breathing person with real, living problems. She completely disappears into the role.

Amazingly, the audience projection the film devises isn't upsetting to the story or its characters. Christina Choe's direction is so subtle and feels so honest one never feels lost regarding the characters' internal machinations until asked to. And when asked to, this interactive character nibbling works more than well-one wants their plights to be resolved neatly.

After these matters, subtle suspense generated by the friction between the characters and their situation is effective, but not much is done with it. It's tough to criticize the limited extent to which the story takes and resolves itself because it's done purposefully and does feel true to the direction it's taken in. Still, it feels like some potential for a deeper, even more thrilling film may have been lost as a result.

Nancy is a close little tale with good, maybe not great execution. Between the heavy snowfall and tight world it's set in, the film stands a lot like a miniature snow globe in a sea of showy commercial trinkets.