Tunde Adebimpe, frontman for the acclaimed rock band TV On The Radio, is back in front of the camera again, this time with "SNL" alum Kristen Wiig, starring in writer/director Sebastian Silva’s drama "Nasty Baby."
In the film, Adebimpe and Silva play a gay couple (Freddy and Mo) who are trying to have a baby with the help of their best friend Anna, played by Wiig. Freddy and Mo don’t see eye to eye on the idea – Freddy wants to do it; Mo is ambivalent, especially when Anna isnʼt having success with Freddyʼs sperm and the donor responsibility shifts to him.
Meanwhile, Reg E. Cathey plays a supporting character in the film known only as The Bishop, who is described as a "potentially dangerous" neighbor of theirs, who’s one of several multicultural characters that they interact with.
Here’s the official synopsis: "Nasty Baby, centers around a Brooklyn couple, Freddy (Sebastian Silva) and his boyfriend Mo (Tunde Adebimpe) who are trying to have a baby with the help of their best friend, Polly (Kristen Wiig). Freddy is an artist, and his latest work is all about babies – it’s clear he’s dying to be a father. Polly is a family practitioner who is more interested in having a baby than having a man. Mo is hesitant about the entire idea, especially when Polly isn’t having success with Freddyʼs sperm and the donor responsibility shifts to him. Set almost entirely in the multicultural vibrancy of Fort Greene, Brooklyn, the trio navigates the idea of creating life, when they are confronted by unexpected harassment from particularly aggressive neighborhood man, nicknamed The Bishop (Reg E. Cathey). The Bishop is bothersome in small, yet persistent ways, with a hint of danger. As their clashes become increasingly aggressive, someone is bound to get hurt."
I’ve seen the film, and without giving anything away, let’s just say that someone does indeed get hurt, in what was a rather surprising (to me anyway) twist in the final act that I’m still not sure quite what to make of. It’s a ride that I was, for the most part, enjoying for much of its running time; and then something happens that takes the story in a completely unexpected direction, given the loose slice-of-life manner in which it unfolds during the first 2 acts. But it’s worth a look, if you’re in any city in which it’s screening this weekend (check your local listings).
The film premiered at the Sundance Film Festival earlier this year.
Christine Vachon produced through her Killer Films shingle, along with David Hinojosa and Charlie Dibe. Pablo Larrain and Juan de Dios Larrain’s Chilean company Fabula is also producing.
The trailer and poster for the film are embedded below:
