Nasty Baby

Latino artist Freddy (played by Silva himself) wants to have a baby with his African-American boyfriend Mo (Tunde Adebimbe). The logical surrogate mother is their best friend Polly (Kristen Wiig). The film begins when the trio are told that Freddy’s sperm is not active enough to father a baby. Mo is next in line, but he doesn’t seem to be too convinced about that option.

Meanwhile Freddy is trying to launch a not very promising and rather disconcerting new project in which he plays a baby; there’s a visit to Mo’s sceptical family; there are pleasant get-togethers with at times less pleasant endings; and Freddy’s already limited self-control is severely tested by Bishop, a confused man who runs his leaf blower at the most bizarre hours of the day – or night.

Silva films everything in a loose documentary style, with largely improvised scenes and sharp, often funny dialogues, in which the themes of our modern lives are covered in a natural and unobtrusive way: the alternative family, interracial relationships, postponed parenthood and the effects of the demise of the caring society.

But if you think that this is yet another pleasantly easy-going depiction of hip lives in the First World, you would be wrong. Because the film contains a surprising and dark twist, triggered by an explosive mix of good and bad news and an unfortunately timed joke. The big bad “real world” literally invades these Brooklyn hipsters’ fragile happy bubble and brings out some unexpected traits in its inhabitants.

Nicole Santé

Translation: Marjan Westbroek

Trailer