• Home
  • Reviews
  • Interviews
  • Lists
    • Yearly Top Tens
    • Trailers
    • Contact
    • Hire Me
    • About
Menu

World of Reel

Street Address
City, State, Zip
Phone Number
Home
Asghar Farhadi’s New Film Tackles 2015 Paris Terrorist Attacks
IMG_5201.jpg
‘Snow White’ Re-Release Tanks With $210K in 1300+ Screens
IMG_5191.jpg
‘Batman Forever: Schumacher Cut’ to Screen on May 29 in L.A.
IMG_5184.jpg
M. Night Shyamalan Shooting ‘Remain’ in VistaVision
IMG_5181.png
Charlie Kaufman’s ‘Later the War’ Shuts Down Production in Poland
Featured
Capture.PNG
Aug 19, 2019
3-Hour ‘Midsommar' Director's Cut Screened in NYC
Aug 19, 2019

This year’s 12th edition of the Scary Movies festival at Film at Lincoln Center premiered Ari Aster’s extended version of “Midsommar” this past Saturday.

Aug 19, 2019

World of Reel

  • Home
  • Reviews
  • Interviews
  • Lists
  • More
    • Yearly Top Tens
    • Trailers
  • About
    • Contact
    • Hire Me
    • About

‘Nightbitch' is Fine, But Amy Adams Delivers a BRILLIANT Performance [TIFF]

September 8, 2024 Jordan Ruimy

The good news is that Marielle Heller’s “Nightbitch,” which screened last night at the Princess of Wales, is much better than that silly trailer hinted at. Amy Adams is spectacular in the role of stay-at-home mom who starts to mentally crack, to the point where she believes she’s quite literally turning into a dog.

The first reactions are also in and “Nightbitch” has a 69 on Metacritic (based on 6 reviews). That score will probably go down slightly, but that doesn’t matter; All hail, Amy Adams! I knew Adams had it in her to make a comeback, and here she delivers some of the best work of her career. What an emotional, brave and darkly intimate performance on her part.

“Nightbitch” is a primal scream of maternal pain, playing with very real emotions, as Adams’ mother tries to make sense of the tiresome and all-too-real ordeal of motherhood. Her husband (Scoot McNairy) is barely present, always going on work trips, to the point where she’s left to fend for herself. Her tired state, the random bouts of crying, the emotional distress of not having the time for yourself, it’s all there in Adams’ eyes.

I loved Anne McCabe’s editing, which assembles the mundane daily rituals of Adams’ mother. If you’re a parent, then you can relate a lot to what this film says about investment and responsibility. It’s also at times a darkly funny film, one which seems unafraid to admit that taking care of a child can sometimes, to put it nicely, suck.

With that said, the film itself has these very far-fetched moments, mostly the fantastical scenes where Adams turns into a canine, using clunky CGI, no less, to shove its point down our throats. It’s an over-the-top metaphor. The whole raison d’etre of these dog scenes is for the film to show just how primal and animalistic motherhood can be, but they just don’t work.

“Nightbitch” is also a very ugly film to look at. The colors are off, and the photography is too slick. Compare it to Heller’s “Diary of A Teenage Girl” or “Can You Ever Forgive Me,” both shot on better cameras, and it’s a night and day difference. The film could have used the grittier look of those films instead of its more neutered and commercial visual approach.

Regardless, I’m more interested in Adams’ work here, which, to my eyes at least, is Oscar-worthy. Heller wrote the screenplay with the source material’s author, Rachel Yoder, and the result is a passable script that’s elevated by an actress at the full height of her powers — it’s high-wire work on her part.

← ‘Eden' is Ron Howard's Bleakest and Craziest Film [TIFF]Readers' Thoughts on Beetlejuice? $100M Opening Expected →

FOLLOW US!


Trending

Featured
IMG_4571.jpg
David Fincher & Brad Pitt Reunite for ‘The Continuing Adventures of Cliff Booth' + Plot Details
IMG_4549.png
Warners Bros. Chief Admits Missteps on ‘Joker: Folie à Deux’: “We Misread the Room”
IMG_4541.jpg
Scorsese’s Next Film? Hawaiian Mob Epic With Dwayne Johnson Eyes 2026 Shoot
Capture.png
Jim Caviezel to be De-Aged in ‘The Resurrection of the Christ'
IMG_4465.png
Harmony Korine Says Hollywood Struggling Because “Movies Suck Today”

Critics Polls

Featured
Capture.PNG
Critics Poll: ‘Vertigo’ Named Best Film of the 1950s, Over 120 Participants
B16BAC21-5652-44F6-9E83-A1A5C5DF61D7.jpeg
Critics Poll: Kubrick’s ‘2001: A Space Odyssey’ Tops Our 1960s Critics Poll
Capture.PNG
Critics Poll: ‘The Godfather’ Named Best Movie of the 1970s
public.jpeg
Critics Poll: ‘Do the Right Thing' Named Best Movie of the 1980s
Critics Poll: ‘Mulholland Drive' Named Best Film of the 2000s
g4.jpg
Critics' Poll: ‘Goodfellas' Named Best Movie of the 1990s
Critics Poll: ‘Mad Max: Fury Road' Named Best Movie of the 2010s
World of Reel tagline.PNG
 

Content

Contribute

Hire me

 

Support

Advertise

Donate

 

About

Team

Contact

Privacy Policy

Site designed by Jordan Ruimy © 2023