Directed by Sebastian Silva as well as starring Sebastian Silva, Nasty Baby is a film about a gay couple, Freddy (Sebastian Silva) and Mo (Tunde Adebimpe), who are trying to get pregnant with Freddy's best friend Polly (Kristen Wiig). Though the film spends the majority focusing on the pregnancy, a subplot lurking in the background takes center stage at the end that left me confused and flabbergasted.
Stylistically, the film is all over the place. The three main characters live in Brooklyn and embody the shabby-chic, bohemian aesthetic. However the opening and closing credits are sleek and modern, seemingly at odds with the setting. Even though the film ends on a somber, serious note, the end credits roll over an upbeat soundtrack at a roller rink with the main characters laughing and having fun. The film is contradictory to say the least.
It all adds up to a very nonsensical film. Because the last act comes out of left field, you're left wondering why you spent your time watching the first two acts when they were basically thrown out the window. While Freddy, Mo, and Polly are interesting to watch, nothing made me emotionally connect to them.
The only part that felt viscerally real is an intense scene where a strange man approaches Polly on street as she is walking alone. Any woman can tell you about the abject fear when a strange man approaches you alone at night. In this film, Wiig gets a wide swath of emotions to work with and does an admirable job. Perhaps the weakest link is Mo, who comes across as so inscrutable that I felt like I knew nothing about him by the end of the film.
Nasty Baby can be summarized in a quick two-word description"¦ pointless and self-indulgent. And while it does its best trying to say something, in the end it says nothing.
