London Film Festival review - Nasty Baby

Silva and Wiig contemplate parenthood in Nasty Baby.

Set in the same hipster-ful Brooklyn seen in Girls and the films of Noah Baumbach, Nasty Baby follows artist Freddy (played by writer/director Sebastián Silva) and his boyfriend Mo (Tunde Adebimpe) as they attempt to have a baby with Freddy’s best friend Polly (the wonderful Kristen Wiig in a refreshingly low-key role).

What starts off as a genuinely funny and touching look at characters dealing with life’s disappointments becomes something quite different, as sinister undertones begin to creep in. Although it purports to be a true story, luckily it was just inspired by a few different experiences and thoughts Silva has had. 

The film was part of the “Debate” strand at the festival. I think many people would struggle to find any messages behind Nasty Baby and just write it off as self-consciously weird and clumsy. The Toronto Film Festival apparently refused to show the film unless the ending was changed. I wouldn’t go that far, as though I agree that it was a bit clumsy, I did get something out of the latter part of the film, even though it is so different from the more enjoyable and safer beginning.  I liked the examination here of the darkness that lies within people, and the fragile façade of order that we have in society. 

But when it comes down to it, I’m not clear whether the overall message is that “Some people deserve to live more than others”, or “Some people think they deserve to live more than others”, which are really quite different lines for a film to take. Perhaps Silva is leaving that up to the audience to decide, just to add to our general discomfort.