The Nannies

Angèle is in her thirties, from the Ivory Coast, and gets out of everything with her talk and her nerve. To escape some dangerous people on her trail she takes work as a nanny in a wealthy part of Paris, hired by Hélène, who is raising eight-year-old Arthur alone. Seeing the working conditions of the other nannies she meets in the park, she decides to stand up for their rights, and a young lawyer comes to help. Julien Rambaldi's film uses the shapes of French comedy but its subject is serious: the job insecurity of migrant women working off the books. The narrative delivers this without preaching, through the scenes in the park and the solidarity among the nannies. Eye Haïdara plays Angèle, Léa Drucker plays Hélène, and Ahmed Sylla plays the lawyer. Who it's for: Viewers who like French comedy, films that take a social issue through humour, and character-driven narratives. Who it's not for: The resolution is too optimistic and the romantic subplot is unnecessary. Some supporting characters amount to a single function.