Mexican filmmaker Michelle Garza Cervera is no stranger to the representation of the madness of motherhood. His first feature film of 2022, Huesera: The Woman with Bonesfocuses on a pregnant carpenter who experiences increasingly disturbing visions of a faceless and mutilated woman as her due date approaches. Convinced that she is simply cracking under the pressure of impending parenthood, the majority of her family and friends respond to her frantic cries for help with a dismissive attitude. Besides the supernatural aspect and the Spanish language, Cervera’s second feature film is based on a similar principle, developing a story already projected on screen in 1992. The hand that rocks the cradle, initially made by Curtis Hanson from a screenplay by Amanda Silver, makes some much-needed changes to our current cultural climate, but the heart of the hit domestic thriller remains intact.
While working at a tenants’ rights event, “ready to burst” mother-to-be Caitlyn (Mary Elizabeth Winstead) briefly meets Polly (Maika Monroe), a young woman worried about an impending rent hike imposed by her landlord. Although the advice Caitlyn gives her is clinical and superficial, it’s clear that she makes an impression on Polly, who introduces herself again when she sees Caitlyn and her family at a local Los Angeles farmers’ market several months later. In tow are Caitlyn’s husband Miguel (Raúl Castillo), their 10-year-old daughter Emma (Mileiah Vega), and their baby Josie (Lola and Nora Contreras).
Although this second meeting is even briefer than the first, Polly implies that she needs work; As fate would have it, Miguel suggested Caitlyn hire a nanny. So Polly enters the family home, immediately forming a bond with the precocious but fickle Emma. The bulk of her nanny duties, however, involve caring for Josie, whose daily diet has been carefully calibrated to avoid ingesting microplastics, sugar, and other harmful but ubiquitous additives.
Despite assurances that she would follow Caitlyn’s strict guidelines, Polly immediately breaks all the rules: she allows the girls to eat sickly sweet frosting, feeds Josie store-bought formula instead of her mother’s constant supply of pre-pumped breast milk, and even gives Emma an extremely irresponsible (and explosive) gift. Although Caitlyn is disturbed by Polly’s deviation from her clearly articulated instructions, Miguel is quick to come to their nanny’s defense, in part because Caitlyn previously suffered from postpartum psychosis after Emma’s birth. Fearing that his growing distrust of Polly (supported only by anecdotal “evidence”) is a sign of an impending nervous breakdown, Miguel encourages his wife to let go of her grievances. Only Stewart, Caitlyn’s best friend and co-worker (Martin Starr in a small but powerful supporting role) also senses something suspicious about Polly’s general vibe, leading him to unearth shocking revelations about both women’s traumatic pasts.
