Nocturnal Animals- directed by Tom Ford
Starring: Amy Adams, Jake Gyllenhaal, Aaron Taylor-Johnson, Michael Sheen, Armie Hammer, Laura Linney, Isla Fisher, Karl Glusman, Michael Sheen, Andrea Riseborough, Imogen Waterhouse, Ellie Bamber, Robert Aramayo, India Menuez
An Amy Adams movie is a treat for her involvement alone so to have two arrive on the same day is just fine by me.
Even better - both films - "Arrival" and "Nocturnal Animals" are very, very good.
Whilst the former was a dyed in the wool Science Fiction movie "Nocturnal Animals" is harder to pick genre-wise.
Both films are smart and often intense and have some common ground with their themes and to a lesser degree tones but it is "Nocturnal Animals" that gave me the most to think about after leaving the cinema.
Pretty good considering "Arrival" had me pondering it for hours afterwards.
Adams plays Susan Morrow (S Morrow.... Sorrow?) a woman who seems to have everything.
She is a wealthy art gallery owner who lives in an expensive house surrounded by large steel gates and populated with staff that attend to anything that she cannot do or won't do.
This includes opening brown paper parcels like the one in which the manuscript for her ex-husband's new novel arrives.
Susan manages to give herself a paper cut trying to open it - not a subtle moment of foreshadowing!
The book is entitled "Nocturnal Animals" and since Susan doesn't sleep much and her handsome lawyer husband Hutton is out of town she spends the night reading it.
This allows for a very clever structure to be utilised.
We see the book played out as a kind of film within a film.
It is a violent story about a man, his wife and daughter travelling through West Texas and getting harassed by a trio of young thugs.
The man is played by Jake Gyllenhaal who also plays Susan's ex-husband - the writer of the book.
Isla Fisher takes the role of the book wife - clever in that apparently many people get Fisher and Adams mixed up in real life (I don't know how)
The story is gritty and violent and often quite hard to watch as the thugs torment the family and ultimately commit acts of violence.
The other half of the film is of course Susan in the here and now but even that is split into two pieces as she recalls the time she spent with her ex-husband Edward.
For a time any confusion over which Gyllenhaal we are watching is aided by the presence of a manly beard on the face of the novel Jake.
Truthfully the juggling of all three pieces is so well done that I doubt the beard was necessary.
Director Ford not only keeps everything very easy to follow but serves up an almost delicious looking movie.
Frequently the camera dwells in close up on Adams' face - her incredible blue eyes telling a story in lieu of voiceover in many instances.
I rated her performance in "Arrival" as one of her best but this one is every bit as good.
Both impressed me with the subtle manner in which she shows us what her character is feeling.
She is often left with only expressions (and from the neck up) as she reacts to the events that she is reading.
Adams is renowned for playing sweet and likeable but a good percentage of her roles have been varying stages removed from that.
Anyone in any doubt that she has range needs to see this film.
Susan is a confused woman.
She thinks that she should be happy because she has a husband who another character calls 'handsome and dashing' and a big house and loads of money.
But really she isn't and has no idea what will make her happy.
Most of these details come not from overt things like events or dialogue but from the subtlety of Adams performance. Her walk, the way she talks to people.....
There is a great scene at the art gallery when she breaks a colleagues iPhone who fobs it off because 'There's a new one coming out next week anyway'
Cut to a meeting where Susan flip flops on firing a new employee citing the need not to change things too often.
There are several key moments in this excellent film but for me two stand out.
Firstly the realisation that Edwards book - which he dedicated to Susan - is autobiographical at least in the subtext.
Secondly the moment when I understood why he had written the book.
To say more would be a huge spoiler - much of the pleasure in this great film is watching the events unfold.
Along the way there are numerous great performances beyond the brilliant central one.
Gyllenhaal does a great job playing two characters that are slightly different versions of the other and the always reliable Michael Shannon is a joy to watch.
Aaron Taylor-Johnson - almost unrecognisable- is a revelation as the most violent thug in the novel story.
By containing a story within its main story "Nocturnal Animals" allows themes to be explored almost as subtext to the overarching one of being careful where your priorities lie and the importance of recognising a good thing when you see it.
This is truly a riveting watch and very, very easy to recommend wholeheartedly.
RATING: 86 / 100
CONCLUSION: A stunning looking, amazingly well acted film that uses its movie within a movie concept to great effect allowing for multiple themes wrapped up within its one main one
Screenplay: Tom Ford
Music Score by: Abel Korzeniowski
Cinematography: Seamus McGarvey
Cinematography: Seamus McGarvey
Edited by: Joan Sobel
Running Time: 116 minutes
Language: English
Rated: R16 - Violence, profanity & nudity
Running Time: 116 minutes
Language: English
Rated: R16 - Violence, profanity & nudity
Even better - both films - "Arrival" and "Nocturnal Animals" are very, very good.
Whilst the former was a dyed in the wool Science Fiction movie "Nocturnal Animals" is harder to pick genre-wise.
Both films are smart and often intense and have some common ground with their themes and to a lesser degree tones but it is "Nocturnal Animals" that gave me the most to think about after leaving the cinema.
Pretty good considering "Arrival" had me pondering it for hours afterwards.
Adams plays Susan Morrow (S Morrow.... Sorrow?) a woman who seems to have everything.
She is a wealthy art gallery owner who lives in an expensive house surrounded by large steel gates and populated with staff that attend to anything that she cannot do or won't do.
This includes opening brown paper parcels like the one in which the manuscript for her ex-husband's new novel arrives.
Susan manages to give herself a paper cut trying to open it - not a subtle moment of foreshadowing!
The book is entitled "Nocturnal Animals" and since Susan doesn't sleep much and her handsome lawyer husband Hutton is out of town she spends the night reading it.
This allows for a very clever structure to be utilised.
We see the book played out as a kind of film within a film.
It is a violent story about a man, his wife and daughter travelling through West Texas and getting harassed by a trio of young thugs.
The man is played by Jake Gyllenhaal who also plays Susan's ex-husband - the writer of the book.
Isla Fisher takes the role of the book wife - clever in that apparently many people get Fisher and Adams mixed up in real life (I don't know how)
The story is gritty and violent and often quite hard to watch as the thugs torment the family and ultimately commit acts of violence.
 |
| Amy Adams as Susan Morrow - makes reading captivating |
For a time any confusion over which Gyllenhaal we are watching is aided by the presence of a manly beard on the face of the novel Jake.
Truthfully the juggling of all three pieces is so well done that I doubt the beard was necessary.
Director Ford not only keeps everything very easy to follow but serves up an almost delicious looking movie.
Frequently the camera dwells in close up on Adams' face - her incredible blue eyes telling a story in lieu of voiceover in many instances.
I rated her performance in "Arrival" as one of her best but this one is every bit as good.
Both impressed me with the subtle manner in which she shows us what her character is feeling.
She is often left with only expressions (and from the neck up) as she reacts to the events that she is reading.
Adams is renowned for playing sweet and likeable but a good percentage of her roles have been varying stages removed from that.
Anyone in any doubt that she has range needs to see this film.
Susan is a confused woman.
She thinks that she should be happy because she has a husband who another character calls 'handsome and dashing' and a big house and loads of money.
But really she isn't and has no idea what will make her happy.
Most of these details come not from overt things like events or dialogue but from the subtlety of Adams performance. Her walk, the way she talks to people.....
There is a great scene at the art gallery when she breaks a colleagues iPhone who fobs it off because 'There's a new one coming out next week anyway'
Cut to a meeting where Susan flip flops on firing a new employee citing the need not to change things too often.
 |
| Jake Gyllenhaal, Michael Shannon and Aaron Taylor-Johnson |
Firstly the realisation that Edwards book - which he dedicated to Susan - is autobiographical at least in the subtext.
Secondly the moment when I understood why he had written the book.
To say more would be a huge spoiler - much of the pleasure in this great film is watching the events unfold.
Along the way there are numerous great performances beyond the brilliant central one.
Gyllenhaal does a great job playing two characters that are slightly different versions of the other and the always reliable Michael Shannon is a joy to watch.
Aaron Taylor-Johnson - almost unrecognisable- is a revelation as the most violent thug in the novel story.
By containing a story within its main story "Nocturnal Animals" allows themes to be explored almost as subtext to the overarching one of being careful where your priorities lie and the importance of recognising a good thing when you see it.
This is truly a riveting watch and very, very easy to recommend wholeheartedly.
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