It would be a waste of this review’s time to convince anybody that parenting (and motherhood specifically) is hard. Spoiler alert: it is. For all the beauty and joy of seeing a child grow up, being a mother can sometimes be thankless and isolating. A certain number of expectations (primarily rooted in patriarchy) are set, with little to no gratitude in return. Marielle Heller’s adaptation of Rachel Yoder’s best-selling novel, Nightbitch, summarizes those points. The film doesn’t serve as some appeal against motherhood entirely; it’s the opposite.
Nightbitch gives credence to multiple ideas at once — seeing a newborn do everyday things can feel amazing, but the day-to-day process can feel monotonous and remind you of what you gave up. Fourth-wall-breaking dialogue shines through some scenes; allusions to body horror and even fairy tale imagery are present. If there is a criticism to be had about Nightbitch, it’s that it discards its weirdness and animalistic excess too quickly. It’s as if it forgets about the wonderfully interesting visual symbols it’s created and instead spells out its thesis more plainly on the way to a simple resolution.
You Shall Call Me Mother
Amy Adams’ character doesn’t have a name — she is called “Mother.” To say that she is at her breaking point would be an understatement. Once upon a time, Mother was an artist on the rise. Now, all those sketches and paintings are becoming relics of a past life. On a routine trip to the grocery store, Mother is asked how she likes her new role (referring to stay-at-home mom). At that moment, Adams delivers a blistering, unfiltered account of how “glamorous” that might be. After this, Heller gives the audience a front-row seat to see how monotonous Mother’s at-home routine is.
Her toddler son (played by twins Arleigh Patrick and Emmett James Snowden) is extremely cute, and you can see Mother’s genuine love and attachment for him (when the endless demands of life and motherhood aren’t crushing her). Otherwise, it’s a never-ending loop of cooking, cleaning up messes, going on walks, and heading to the library for a sing-a-long (which Mother despises). Her husband (played by Scoot McNairy) is often away on business trips and has a penchant for inadvertently putting his foot in his mouth. He’s a little aloof about helping with their son and doesn’t catch on to the hints of resentment building up inside his wife.
Amy Adams Sinks Her Teeth Into Nightbitch
Amy Adams is a pro in how she delivers the meta-style dialogue and the non-verbal cues she exhibits in the quieter moments. Adams does a terrific job of vacillating between sadness and pure contempt. When all those ingredients reach an apex, Heller introduces the body horror and canine urges Mother gets. It starts with some physical changes – Mother thinks her teeth are getting sharper and might even be growing a tail at one point. These transformations and some nocturnal bouts of running through suburban streets give Adams a chance to let loose and be vulnerable, and inject the film with humor and energy.
Here is a woman wondering if she can regain any semblance of the drive and appearance she had when younger — a terrifying feeling. Heller conjures that unease with some fantastic visual cues and unnervingly composed scenes, such as a get-together with Mother’s college friends. The scene is one of the film’s best and distills the topics of womanhood and parenting while evoking a slow, brooding nightmare that also makes room for gallows humor.
A Happy Ending, Not a Satisfying One
Nightbitch attempts some interesting world-building, complete with mythical backstories and supporting characters having similar urges, and even provides an interesting, quasi-Freudian biological explanation. While Nightbitch does have interesting ideas and narrative threads, it elects to go the safe route despite setting the stage for further complexities. Many characters arrive at this neat point of resolution where there’s room to do so much more.
Rather than developing its world and letting the engaging visual style lead the way, Nightbitch opts for a happier ending than a complicated one. Certain parties see the error of their ways, and everybody gets what they want. But motherhood doesn’t fit so neatly inside a box. The film acknowledges there are a variety of factors in how society distills a mother’s importance while figuratively imprisoning her in certain ways. Nightbitch elects to circle the points we know until the ink bleeds through the paper.
Nightbitch made its world premiere at the Toronto International Film Festival; you can find more information here. From Searchlight Pictures, the film will be released theatrically on Dec. 6, 2024.
