The Nanny

A long-time caregiver whose placid exterior masks a destabilizing inner life. She is at once a source of Joey’s fear and Virginia’s trusted confidante, complicating the family’s effort to shield their fragile image. Her past trauma—rooted in a botched abortion and her daughter’s death—drives a chilling unraveling as she fights to maintain control.

A ten-year-old boy scarred by Susy’s death, whose mistrust of the nanny drives him to test boundaries and orchestrate pranks. He alternates between fear and resourceful cunning as he seeks safety within a perilously fragile family unit.

Joey’s emotionally fragile mother, still mourning Susy. She leans heavily on the nanny for support and stability, and her grief shapes the family’s dynamics. Her journey culminates in a painful but necessary acceptance of the truth.

Virginia’s aunt, weakened by childhood illness, who comes to supervise Joey during Virginia’s absence. She embodies concern and skepticism toward the nanny and ultimately suffers a fatal heart attack, catalyzing the unraveling of the façade around the nanny.

Joey and Virginia’s father, a Queen’s Messenger who departs on a business trip, leaving the family in a vulnerable, caretaker-dominated environment.

The fourteen-year-old daughter of the upstairs doctor who helps with a prank. She becomes entangled in the family’s tense dynamics and witnesses events that influence the investigation into Susy’s death.

The doctor living upstairs who serves as a professional and moral anchor for the family, providing medical care and a counterpoint to the nanny’s influence.

Another physician in the household who participates in the medical world surrounding the family and offers investigative perspective during the crisis.

A doctor in the family’s orbit, contributing to the medical setting and the scrutiny surrounding the nanny’s behavior and the family’s wellbeing.

A household or neighborhood presence who sits outside the central drama, offering exterior observation of the family’s struggles.

A minor figure in the narrative whose presence contributes to the texture of the upstairs medical world and the family’s social circle.