I think I’ve been sleeping a bit on director Tom Ford. I didn’t see A Single Man until a year after its release and while I did enjoy it, I wasn’t sitting on the edge of my seat waiting for his next effort. I think I was still a bit thrown how a fashion designer was now directing a film that led to an Oscar nomination for its star, Colin Firth.
Tom Ford is back with his next directorial effort and this is the kind of film that makes me want to go back and give A Single Man another look. Nocturnal Animals is a near perfect thriller that is intense, powerful and intelligent. It assumes that the audience is wise and doesn’t cut corners to dumb itself down. It demands your attention and even though it does jump around between past and present and blurs the lines between fiction and reality, it does explain itself along the way to make sure that the audience is still invested in the story.
Susan Morrow (Amy Adams) is in an upper-class marriage that is crumbling apart. It doesn’t help matters that while the situation with her current spouse Hutton (Armie Hammer) is on the rocks, she is pulled into the orbit of her ex-husband, Edward (Jake Gyllenhaal). After a series of false starts, he has finally found the inspiration to finish his novel. Susan finds herself connected to this inspiration because not only is the novel dedicated to her, but Edward also wants her to read “Nocturnal Animals” before its publication.
The book-within-the-movie introduces us to Tony Hastings (Gyllenhaal), who is on a road trip through Texas with his wife, Laura (Isla Fisher), and his teenage daughter, India (Ellie Bamber). After becoming involved in a road rage incident, Tony’s car is forced off the side of the road with a flat tire. The family’s tormentors, who are three twentysomethings that seem to be void of conscience, start out with teasing and taunting before moving to darker intentions.
During the course of its nearly two-hour running length, Nocturnal Animals often returns to this fictional story because it allows Edward to find some kind of closure. To explain where the protagonists are in the present, the film jumps into the past through a series of scenes that showcase Susan and Edward’s marriage. We see the more optimistic early days that were filled with promise but we also see the act of betrayal that Susan committed in the end which destroyed their marriage. The novel is clearly therapy for Edward but once Susan reads it, she sees it as a way for them to reconnect.
The first book-within-the-movie segment is the film at its best. It’s harrowing and filled with so much menace and tension that it rivals anything you’ve seen in horror movies this year. The three antagonists, played by Aaron Taylor-Johnson, Karl Glusman, and Robert Aramayo, are a big reason this portion of the film works because they are absolutely unapologetic in their portrayal of these vicious people. They get glee out of this brand of torture and how they toy with their victims raises the level of tension.
The ambiguity of this section is also why it truly works. As a viewer, we’re wondering if this is fiction or did this actually happen to Edward and Susan. Edward and Tony are both played by Jake Gyllenhaal and Isla Fisher is made to look like she could pass for Amy Adam so it’s very safe to assume there could be some truth to these events. Cut to Susan’s reactions as she comes up on key moments in the novel adding to a level of uncertainty for her.
The reason I said I think I’ve been sleeping on Tom Ford is because this guy has a strong visual style that jives with my sensibilities as a moviegoer. Nocturnal Animals is drenched in neo-noir style that draws you in from its opening scene. The opening is visually arresting and pulls you into Susan’s world. Susan is an art curator and the opening offers you a glimpse into her strange but beautiful, performance art. Ford has a keen eye for how shots are framed and while the film goes to some bleak places, he also shows he can capture some beautiful moments as well. There is a moment when a young Susan and Edward meet on a New York street that is beautifully illuminated by the snowy night. Sometimes a director who is too focused of visuals can lose the audience because the narrative suffers due to making everything look good but that’s not the case here. His strengths as a visual director give the story momentum and the look of the film is essentially a character itself that tells its own story.
Amy Adams is having one hell of a year. Between this and Arrival, she’s proving why she’s one of the best actresses working today. These two performances make me forgive her for slumming it as Lois Lane in Batman v Superman: Dawn of Justice. Adams is good at selling the sadness of her character without making it too obvious. It’s wonderfully understated but powerful. She shows moments of sad introspection and shades of regret as she goes over the events in her life. Arrival is still the performance that should get her an Oscar nomination, but Nocturnal Animals is a prime showcase of her talent as well.
Jake Gyllenhaal plays two parts and commands the screen with both roles. Edward isn’t as fleshed out as Tony but as a writer, I explained this as him truly speaking his “truth” through Tony. He can say and do things that maybe Edward can’t but it’s clear that both characters are a part of his personality. The main characteristic that blends the two roles is that of a supposed “weakness” – some see this trait as a flaw of Edward’s and Edward, through his writing, wonders whether it’s a failing of Tony’s. It’s a very interesting dual role that Gyllenhaal has the chops to pull off.
There are supporting players here but the movie belongs to Adams and Gyllenhaal. Armie Hammer and Isla Fisher do adequate work and Michael Shannon has a small but critical role that leaves an impression. Also worthy of a mention is Laura Linney as Susan’s mother. It’s merely a cameo but it’s a scene-stealing moment that is pretty unforgettable.
The only thing holding the film back from perfection is that the first 45 minutes are so good and filled with tension that it becomes hard for the film to live up to the intensity. The second half is by no means bad, but it doesn’t grab you in the same way. With that being said, Nocturnal Animals is a superb combination of visceral and intellectual filmmaking. The film is powerful and definitely hard to shake by the time it’s over and while some may be turned off by the bleakness of its conclusion, there is no denying the power of the film long after it’s over.
Reel Talk gives Nocturnal Animals 3.5 Reels
