• Release year: 2024
• Director: Michelle Garza Cervera.
• Producers: Ted Field, Mike Larocca, and Michael Schaefer.
• Screenplay by: Micah Bloomberg.
• Cinematography by: Jo Willems.
• Music by: Ariel Marx.

Shotgun Commentary: the film that makes you root for the nanny once again.

Review

The Hand that Rocks the Cradle is a remake of the homonymous 1992 classic, now brought to modern times (wait, is 1992 ancient already?), and rewritten to cater to modern sensibilities. That is, women are no longer expected to live with the sole purpose of bearing children. As good as the original was, this remake will probably cater to a wider audience and will feel vastly more relatable considering the world—and economy—we live in, where having children is often not a priority, or not even in the cards.

Unlike its predecessor, this film doesn’t follow the nanny’s POV, but rather mostly that of the mother. This presents the audience with a difficult dilemma. On the one hand, the perspective is constantly trying to force you into taking the mother’s side. On the other, the more you learn about the characters, the more you want to take the nanny’s side. This constant struggle creates a wonderful tension, both in the narrative and in the audience’s experience of the film itself.

The star of the show

This time around, the nanny, Polly (Maika Monroe), is a complete mystery. All we have before meeting her is a vague flashback that may or may not be related to her. Other than that, we know she is shady and a liar, but her exact reasons are completely unknown. Any gap of information you have in a thriller will make it all the more engrossing.

In that sense, this film hands on to the comfortable formula of keeping its audience in the dark over taking a chance and relying on the writing and the acting to do the job. As an established scream queen with titles like Longlegs (2024) or It Follows (2014) under her belt, a great performance by Monroe was expected. Luckily, she does not disappoint. In fact, she completely steals the show. You will love and hate Polly, wishing you could hug her and kill her, sometimes at the same time. Monroe directs the audience’s attention and reactions like a conductor would an orchestra. No note is out of place, no movement out of sync.

The backup dancer

Sadly, the same cannot be said for her nemesis, Caitlin (Mary Elizabeth Winstead), the mother of the children. While Winstead delivers a great performance, her character does get a bit hard to digest at times. Whether that is a matter of writing or acting is unclear, but the result does fall flat at times, lacking intensity on certain occasions. Still, she doesn’t make ridiculous decisions, which is a breath of fresh air in the genre. She reacts like a normal person to everything that goes on around her, and for that, she shall forever remain in our hearts… even if we forget all about her five minutes after finishing the film (which will very likely happen).

All in all, The Hand That Rocks the Cradle is a worthy reimagining of the original. It is just different enough to be unique and thrilling in its own right, but still similar enough to remain clearly connected to its source. While some details, such as its particular use of soundtrack and the deliberate gaps of knowledge, feel like cheap shortcuts for a film as good as this, they don’t spoil the experience or devalue the end result. If you loved the 1992’s version, or merely like good thrillers, this is a great choice for movie night.

Advice to take from this movie:

• If you aren’t comfortable with a stranger being in your house, you have the right to kick them out without feeling guilty afterwards.
• Beware your medication, always keep an eye on what you take.
• Don’t mess about with niceties when your kids’ lives are at stake. Just don’t.

What’s your take? Have you watched The Hand That Rocks the cradle? Don’t hesitate to let me know your thoughts in the comments section below, or leave a message in my contact page! For more reviews and cinema-related articles, check out the rest of my blog! 😀