Nocturnal Animals
Starring: Amy Adams, Jake Gyllenhaal, Michael Shannon, Aaron Taylor-Johnson
Directed by: Tom Ford
Rated: R
Susan Morrow is unhappy. How could that be? She's an upper echelon gallery owner with all of life's luxuries. Well, her husband is cheating on her, she's indifferent towards her art, and she's not sleeping. Maybe her ex-husband, Edward's (Jake Gyllenhaal), novel could be a distraction from her unhappiness? Until she begins reading....shock, terror, disgust, and sadness are her reactions to the story. Susan views it as a disturbing tale of violence. What lurks between the lines is a symbolic tale of revenge.
In his second film to date, Tom Ford proves directing is a craft that comes as naturally as designing. Here, he takes on the task of crafting the following 3 distinct narratives:
A grotesque art world, full of beautiful people living empty lives. At the center of this world is Susan, a hollow woman who has given up on creativity and succumbed to exploitation art deemed "junk culture". (The opening credits are shocking and graphic, but serve a purpose to the story.)
A deserted West Texas wasteland as the setting for Edward's novel, Nocturnal Animals. Crawling with rednecks, crooked sheriffs, and the possibility of revenge, the tension is palpable.
The beginning of Edward and Susan's relationship. A time when optimism is abundant and societal differences are irrelevant.
It seems impossible to combine these 3 narratives into one functioning film, but Ford pulls it off and does so brilliantly. Each narrative flows to the next with precision and intelligence. Instead of blatantly telling his audience that X represents Y with obvious dialogue, Ford relies on visual storytelling through art, parallel images, and jump cuts. When the film reaches its ambiguous conclusion, it's up to the viewer to decide their interpretation of the final images. Ford connects the narratives with bold metaphors. I can't go any further in this review without talking about the metaphorical significance of Nocturnal Animals. On the surface, Edward's book looks like a cliché fictional revenge thriller. However, as the layers are pulled back, we see that each detail symbolizes something from Edward and Susan's past. What took place between them? That I will not tell you. I will tell you that you'll be racking your brain to figure out the significance of every character...every moment...and every decision long after you leave the theater.
Amy Adams is fantastic as Susan Hastings. She embodies the cold, empty persona necessary for the film's early scenes. As she reads Nocturnal Animals, we see it sparks an emotional reaction in Susan that shows her vulnerability. She showcases anxiety, fear, and shock throughout reading the novel. We are constantly left guessing what event from her past has fueled this book. The flashback sequences require an optimistic young girl in love. Adams is able to pull off all of these sides of Susan. It's a truly fascinating portrayal. If she doesn't get an Oscar nomination between this and Arrival, I will be truly surprised.
Jake Gyllenhaal plays dual roles in the film as Edward, Susan's first-husband and Tony, the protagonist for the novel portion of the film. The fictitious Tony is a direct parallel of Edward. Kind and sensitive, Edward's sensitivity starts as an admirable trait in Susan's eyes, but quickly fades to weakness in her high society world. Similarly, Tony is a family man whose kindness is championed until tragedy strikes and he is deemed powerless. The audience wonders what Edward could possibly be saying through his novel? Throughout our questioning, Gyllenhaal creates a tension that leaves us on the edge of our seat. He moves between the realistic and fictionalized characters with intricate acting skill.
I won't say much about the other characters at risk of giving anything away. I'll just say that Aaron Taylor-Johnson gives a truly surprising (and terrifying) performance as a sociopathic redneck and Michael Shannon shows off some major acting talent as a local sheriff with questionable morals.
Seamus McGarvey (Atonement, Anna Karenina) showcases himself as an artist through the film's cinematography. He uses dull grey tones to express Susan's hollow life, bold yellow and reds for the novel plot line, and a full color scheme in Edward and Susan's flashbacks. A picture is truly worth a thousand words in this case.
Abel Korzeniowski helps set the tone composing a string-heavy score that is delicate yet tragic, fitting every scene beautifully.
What is the line between art and life? Truth and lie? Reality and fiction? In the most artistically bold and metaphorically resonant film I've seen all year, Nocturnal Animals looks to answer these questions in true film noir fashion.
My Rating: 10/10