Movie Review: Nightbitch

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As a seasoned movie critic with over three decades of experience under my belt, I must confess that “Nightbitch” left me scratching my head more than once. Having witnessed the evolution of Amy Adams’ career from her humble beginnings to her current status as an esteemed actress, it was disheartening to see her portray a character so utterly devoid of life and vitality in this film.

If you’re undecided about quitting your job to focus on raising a child, this film might not provide the clarity you seek.

In the recently released film “Nightbitch,” Academy Award-nominated actress Amy Adams takes on her first role in nearly two years. The question arises as to why a seasoned actor like Adams, with six Oscar nominations and decades of experience in Hollywood, would select this script for her comeback. In this movie, Adams appears without makeup, has noticeably gained around 30 pounds, exhibits persistent sadness, exhaustion, and signs of potential suicide throughout the film, living in a small house with her son, while her husband, portrayed by actor Scoot McNairy, is seldom home. The unusual casting choice of Adams as “mother” and McNairy as “husband” is part of the recurring trend in contemporary cinema where characters are named after their roles, a concept that has been overused in recent films.

The film Nightbitch, inspired by the work of Rachel Yoder, takes the original story and spins it into an eccentric cinematic experience. In this unique twist, a mother character gradually morphs into a canine. She discovers strange changes in her body, such as fur appearing where it didn’t before, sharper teeth, and an unexpected development of six nipples that resemble those of a dog – quite an unprecedented sight on screen. The transformed mother also exhibits behaviors reminiscent of dogs, such as eating food like one would see in a dog, even in public places like a local cafeteria at a grocery store, where she shares an intimate moment with a platter of meat.

This movie has too many fake scenes, where the actor fantasizes about something they would like to say or do, then we see a flashback followed by what they really say in the scene. Too much of this can be distracting and somewhat annoying, and this practice can get old very quickly in any film. In one scene Mother is asked how she felt giving birth and goes into an insane tirade about her life being ruined, her dreams destroyed, her fears and desperation. Then says, “My brain just doesn’t operate the way it did before I had the baby,” she says. “I’m dumb, now.” In the following scene, Mother says, “I love being a mom”. Enough of this already.

The idea behind the Mother to dog transition has to do with the book stating that while giving birth and raising a child, a woman can become more like an animal than a human being.

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2024-12-07 17:49