TIFF 2024: Nightbitch Review

This will be one of many reviews during this year’s Toronto International Film Festival, to keep up with our latest coverage, click here.

When it comes to Nightbitch, the title may set some audiences aback but the film, based on the book of the same name by Rachel Yoder, is much more than what its unusual title may suggest. Its first trailer, meanwhile, did not do the film any favors. A difficult film to market, it definitely leans more towards its most sensationalistic elements of its premise and therefore, fails to paint a full picture of what it is truly about. However, the ultimate fate of the film will rely on whether audiences could look past those elements and embrace it for what it is and what it stands for. While well-intentioned, there’s no getting away from how unusual it is, using the story about a woman slowly devolving into a dog as a framing device for commentary about mothers and the difficulties of motherhood. Though it may not all come together as well as it would have hoped, it is still a compelling dark comedy that has a heart to it underneath its wacky exterior and is led by a committed performance from Amy Adams, in a role much different than what audiences have become accustomed to.

The story follows an artist turned stay-at-home mother (Adams) who, over time, has surrendered to the daily tedium and monotony of raising a toddler in the suburbs. Essentially left to her devices by her husband (McNairy) whose job saw him often away from their family, she experienced much of the moments one does as a mother but also faced much of the challenges that come with raising a child alone. Pushed to the bring, the daily grind brought her nothing but frustration as she felt out of her element. Unlike the other mothers, she kept to herself and did not enjoy participating in the usual mother-child activities. The mother did not hesitate to share what she was thinking through a series of hilarious inner monologue musings. Offering some valuable insight into her and delivering some biting social commentary, she was a relatable character to watch despite the fact that she found herself slowly turning into a dog. Balancing that on top of her obligations as a mother, to her marriage, and to herself, it made things even tougher for her and her fragile state. Ultimately, the key was for the mother to learn to embrace who she was.

Using the aforementioned premise as a means to deliver commentary, Nightbitch doesn’t all work as it tries to draw a line from one to the other. With a film like this one, there is a fine line when it comes to depth and providing just the right amount to not muddy the narrative. However, more depth would have have made the dog transition more than a mere gimmick. Nevertheless, Adams is easily the best part of the film, giving a flawed and erratic performance as Mother. Beaten down by her frustration and faced with an unusual situation, she conveys it all in a compelling way. This was indisputably her film as McNairy basically helped to reinforce the mother’s hopeless position.

In the end, Nightbitch is a wild dark comedy whose unusual premise fails to stick the landing in spite of a daring performance from Amy Adams.

still courtesy of Searchlight Pictures

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Keith Noakes

The EIC of the coincidentally-named keithlovesmovies.com. A Canadian who prefers to get out of the cold and into the warmth of a movie theatre.