WHILE there are certainly enough blockbusters being released in the coming months (Fantastic Beasts and Where to Find Them, Rogue One: A Star Wars Story) as well as last week’s release of Marvel latest (and great) film, Doctor Strange, it’s films like Nocturnal Animals that are often released now and unfortunately often stay under the radar.
The independent films this year, like Nocturnal Animals, have far surpassed blockbusters in terms of quality and this film is yet another example of an incredibly impressive smaller film that doesn’t deserve to go unseen.
The film tells the story of Susan (Amy Adams), an art gallery owner who receives a novel, titled ‘Nocturnal Animals’, written by her ex-husband, Edward (Jake Gyllenhaal), dedicated to her and while reading it, it begins to haunt her as it tells a violent story that she interprets as a revenge tale against herself.
The mirroring that director Tom Ford incorporates into this film is genius. The story is gripping from beginning to end. It’s easy to interpret the novel in different ways as it plays out on screen with Gyllenhaal also playing the novel’s protagonist, Tony Hastings.
Q&A with #JakeGyllenhaal, Amy Adams, Aaron Taylor-Johnson and Tom Ford. @Variety #NocturnalAnimals pic.twitter.com/CTPUnwIzgQ
— JakeGyllenhaal FF (@GyllenhaalicsFF) November 4, 2016
It is this mirroring and the gorgeous cinematography that makes this film so beautiful to watch, but the melancholy tone and the sadness of the story makes the beauty of it that much more noticeable.
Ford completely delivers with his direction in this film; it’s fitting – and surely no coincidence – that Amy Adams’ character is an art gallery owner when the film itself is so artistic.
Nocturnal Animals also benefits from an incredible supporting cast including the always great indie favourite, Michael Shannon (Midnight Special, Man of Steel) and Aaron Taylor-Johnson (Godzilla, Avengers: Age of Ultron) who are both excellent in their roles as characters within the novel.
It is Gyllenhaal himself who shines through however, as both the writer, Edward and his novel’s protagonist, Tony with the familiar dark and disturbing characteristics that we know and love Gyllenhaal for.
#NocturnalAnimals was so good. Tense, scary and gripping throughout. Another great performance from Gyllenhaal ⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️
— Matt Carolan (@matdinho) November 4, 2016
While Nocturnal Animals may not be a film for everyone as it’s not necessarily a casual easy watch, it’s incredibly gripping and beautifully shot; the embodiment of art on screen.
It’s not a typical movie, even weirder than a lot of independent movies being that it is a story within a story, but so wonderfully acted and intense in its gloomy tone that it is entirely worth your time.
The score by Abel Korzeniowski, who previously worked with Tom Ford on A Single Man as well as on the fantasy horror series Penny Dreadful, also fits in perfectly with the style and tone of this film. It’s clear that Ford and Korzeniowski are on exactly the same wavelength.
Oh my goodness, @nocturnalanimal is so many kinds of beautiful – an absolute triumph of a film!
— chris attwell (@chris_attwell) November 4, 2016
If looking to see something this week besides Doctor Strange again, or perhaps simply looking for something more original, Nocturnal Animals is certainly the one to go for.
It leaves the audience thinking about what they have just seen; analysing it, realising both the sadness and the satisfying twistedness of it and no one comes out disappointed.
By Morgan Robinson
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