Nightbitch

While it's not something that worked much for me overall, I do think Nightbitch is going to be a few peoples favourite movie of the year and I'm not so in love with my own opinions that I can't see why. Because despite it's more outlandish elements it really does feel like an authentic portrayal of motherhood and one that I did find eye opening in some ways. Amy Adams is probably the best she's be in nearly a decade in this movie in a performance that feels pretty fearless and it's a character I was on the side of from the very first scene in large part because of her work. What sinks the movie for me though is the techniques Marielle Heller uses to tell this story. The more outlandish elements didn't really work for me and it just kept feeling like it was taking away from the realistic drama on display. It's all very unsubtle with how it explores its themes with a lot of narration and fourth wall breaks that I found to be really grating. The whole idea of this character believing she's turning into a dog did take the film in some interesting directions but it didn't really feel like it was wrapped up in any meaningful way so it just ended up feeling like a strange choice that didn't amount to much for me. I also really didn't care for the husband character played by Scott McNairy but for all the wrong reasons. His character just feels like he's lacking majorly in depth and if his character had been fleshed out more the drama could've been more powerful. Nightbitch is admirably ambitious in how it takes a unique approach to its subject matter but it ultimately didn't come together for me. Amy Adams is great as always and I'm glad she's still capable of putting in a performance of this calibre but I'm still finding myself frustrated with the actual projects she chooses.