'Nightbitch' Review: Motherhood Can Be Ruff [TIFF 2024]
Marielle Heller’s latest film fails to take necessary risks, but Amy Adams is expectedly great in her role as a mother-turned-dog.
Nightbitch, the latest film from direction Marielle Heller, depicts the struggles of motherhood through the eyes of a woman that would much rather be creating art or, to naturally blow off some steam, take on the life of a wild animal. Starring Amy Adams as the titular mother, this film looks to explore the themes of gender roles and parenthood, with a canine twist.
With the release of the trailer just last week, Amy Adams fans and social media users cringed at the possibility of another Adams flop, following poorly received films like Dear Evan Hansen and Disenchanted. However, after its premiere at the Toronto International Film Festival, extreme worries can be put to bed. Despite not diving into novel territories or challenging norms and ideas, this is a serviceable picture with a characteristically satisfying performance from Adams.
The main character, known solely as Mother (Adams) navigates her life as a new stay-at-home mother, living the repetitive life of taking care of a toddler. While she loves her son, she can’t help but question if this life is what she desired for herself, and through narration, the viewer quickly learns how angry her isolation and exhaustion has caused her to be. With Husband (Scoot McNairy) often at work and lazy when at home, she burns with the unfairness of it all; why does he get to sleep in hotel rooms for business trips when she has to debate a baby on the value of night-nights? The stress begins to eat away at her, and she begins to notice changes. Did she always have such a strong sense of smell? Why are patches of fur appearing on her skin? The viewer follows Mother as she copes with challenges through playing wild with her child, until she actually begins taking on the guise of a dog at night. Ultimately, the film follows her relationships with the people in her life and how important making decisions for yourself is, even when they come with a cost.
Nightbitch, originally a novel written by Rachel Yoder, is a modern feminist exploration into motherhood and how that interacts with one’s identity, independence, and value. It dives into magical realism, taking risks and presenting as a fiction that may require an acquired taste. It’s rough and feral, and, most importantly, real. The writing is evocative and meaningful, and even delves into shocking body horror. Indeed, Yoder stated in an interview that she “never worried the book was too strange, because [she] wasn’t writing it for anyone other than [her]self.” Despite this promising premise for a film, Heller unfortunately shies away from what could be unique and visceral, and instead settles for a typical narrative, easily digestible and easily forgettable.
While the film is completely centred around the concept of doghood, there is unfortunately little content focusing on this central idea; Heller instead opts for more scenes interacting with other moms at the local library’s Baby Book Time and having contrived conversations with her husband. It’s a disappointing choice, as the film had the chance to be bold and uncomfortable, but only gives the viewer a taste of these possibilities. The special aspect of the magical transformation that brightens this story is dimmed, and with viewers that have likely seen these themes play out before, it becomes a little played out. It doesn’t function as a horror, and unlike the book, it doesn’t subvert expectations or shock the audience. The target audience is unclear, as it awkwardly sits on the line between exciting and predictable. There are several missteps that must be noted, as they hold back the film from achieving something great.
Scoot McNairy (left), director Marielle Heller, Amy Adams
This is not to say, however, that the film is completely without merit. It does have its funny moments, often through tongue-in-cheek narration voicing unexpectedly dark thoughts, and is luckily piloted by Amy Adams, but it does fall short from what it could be. Adams is persuasive as the strained Mother, and her frustrations are often relatable and understandable for audiences. She conveys the discomfort with her status as a mother very well, and her dynamic with her son (played by Arleigh and Emmett Snowden) is convincing, flaws and all. She outshines the script, and with more opportunity, likely could have wowed. McNairy’s Husband is also well done, delivering lines with a certain brand of ignorance that successfully infuriates.
Overall, Nightbitch doesn’t quite meet the mark that was originally set by its novel predecessor, but Amy Adams undeniably delivers a strong performance that will likely be all too relatable. For curious viewers and lovers of Adams, this 98-minute December release will be an enjoyable watch, and despite a strange premise, remains accessible to all types of viewers.