Nightbitch (2024)- BFI London Film Festival 2024

Review

98min

Genre:       Comedy, Drama, Horror

Director:     Marielle Heller

Cast:         Amy Adams, Scoot McNairy, Emmett Snowden…and more

Writers:     Marielle Heller and Rachel Yoder

-Synopsis-

In present day American suburbia, a stay-at-home mom struggles with the pressures of parenthood and its effect on her life and career, only to unexpectedly connect with a more primal instinct which transforms her in the most unexpected way to deal with everything, in this surrealist dark domestic dramedy meditation on motherhood and its unspoken dark spots.

After spending the last decade or so making an impressively successful transition to behind the camera and establishing herself as one of the most formidable female filmmakers of the day with droll, quirky but poignant cinematic portraits of flawed and endearing people like ‘The Diary of a Teenage Girl’, ‘Can You Ever Forgive Me?’ and ‘A Beautiful Day in the Neighborhood’, actress-turned-writer/director Marielle Heller teams up with Hollywood star and producer Amy Adams to adapt Rachel Yoder’s dark yet droll magical-realist 2021 debut novel of the same name. Weaving together a modern anthropomorphic suburban American fable about the emotional, physical, and existential struggles of motherhood versus society’s norms and expectations, and the joy of a return to a more simplistic natural life—all wrapped up in a primal cinematic exploration of “I am woman, hear me roar”.

Amy Adams herself stars as a former artist turned suburban domestic wife and new “Mother”, trying to cope with the regrets of leaving her professional life behind whilst struggling with the practical everyday realities of raising her toddler son (Emmett & Arleigh Snowden) and the expectations which come with it, while her “Husband’s” (Scoot McNairy) frequent business travels inadvertently make him a part-time daddy providing limited support. But as she inches towards a breaking point and starts to transform psychologically and physically in unthinkable ways, she slowly begins to connect to her more primal nature and becomes one with the neighbourhood’s dogs and their nocturnal adventures, turning into the pack’s alpha bitch whilst coming to terms with the person she has become and who she wants to be—leading her to a fateful decision for the future of this little family unit.

Although the film might be built on traditional domestic suburban American comedy/drama foundations, it begins to reveal its unconventional and dark magic realist streak from early on, including some physical transformation elements with a hint of body horror. Yet this is also designed as a confronting but inspirational and aspirational self-realisation story, depending on your perspective of course because in keeping with a “Men Are from Mars, Women Are from Venus” ethos, ‘Nightbitch’ might come off like a quirky uplifting dark superhero film for women, but a wacky nightmare horror flick for men, whilst hopefully leaving the space to find some common ground in between by the end.

Make no mistake though, Heller’s adaptation of Rachel Yoder’s novel is very much one for the ladies and more specifically the mommies, but from a frank, seldom seen and rarely discusses primal perspective. As such Heller and her star/producer Amy Adams paint a contemporary and subtly fantastical animalistic domestic drama portrait of motherhood, focused its often unspoken physical and psychological struggles and including the associated sense of loss; a loss of career, identity, and sense of self. Compounded by marital pressures associated with defined gender roles and social expectations, and a sense of failure which can come with believing you’re not living up to them, with everything seen through the lens of modern women and the prism of today’s society as ‘Nightbitch’ serves as a vehicle to vent the frustrations, self-doubt, and guilt that women have traditionally supressed for time immemorial.

Stylistically Heller understandably opts for a warm modern suburban aesthetic which nevertheless undermines some of the darkness in the underlying story, whilst opting for a musical blend of a soundtrack of largely contemporary pop and alt rock combined with a moody score from her regular collaborator Nate Heller (A Beautiful Day in the Neighborhood, Can You Ever Forgive Me?).

Despite being billed as a comedy/horror, the horror credentials of ‘Nightbitch’ are rather questionable and it never really commits to the weirdness and darkness it promises. Meanwhile its daring surrealist streak is seldom truly fulfilled and ultimately plays like a distraction which sometimes feels removed from the human drama at the heart of the story, which is occasionally left to navigate a curious and messy blend of tones that shift on a dime, in which the film’s recycled collection of social messages is often blunted.

Luckily though Heller can rely on dependable superstar superglue to hold everything together—her enchanting redhead co-producer and the film’s star Amy Adams—who delivers a charismatic and transformative performance full of heart, poignancy and pathos but also frankness and humanity, proving the clear heart of the picture and bringing to life a hugely likeable and relatable character who speaks to us all. She’s ably supported by Scoot McNairy as the oblivious husband and sole representation of manhood in the film, set up to get an uncomfortable crash course in parenthood and female empowerment, not to mention the young Snowden twins doubling up as the infant son and adorable rambunctious catalyst for the story.

The result is a highly unconventional yet relatable domestic family drama marriage tale, mixed with a modern anthropomorphic suburban American fairy tale tribute to the struggles of womanhood, which despite its shortcomings makes for a darkly droll and ultimately fulfilling cinematic experience.

The Bottom Line…

A modern black comedy American fable tribute to womanhood and surrealist suburban ode to motherhood and its dark spots, ‘Nightbitch’ struggles slightly with delivering on its genre film promise and the many tones and social messages it weaves, but is held together and ultimately soars on the strength of its star’s towering performance and the skills of a director that’s found her cinematic voice.

‘Nightbitch’ is out on the 6th of December in US and UK cinemas.

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