Nightbitch (2024)
Directed by: Marielle Heller
Premise: A stay-at-home mom (Amy Adams) is disillusioned with domesticity. As her marriage and her mental state become increasingly frayed, her body exhibits dog-like features.
What Works: The last few years have seen the emergence of the tradwife phenomenon in American culture, primarily online, in which female influencers advocate women adopting an idealized traditional maternal role. Nightbitch comes across as a response to this kind of rhetoric. It is a blunt portrait of parenthood. Amy Adams plays a woman who stepped away from her artistic pursuits to be a stay-at-home mom but the day to day monotony of childcare and the culture of suburban motherhood are driving her mad. As Adams’ character becomes disillusioned she finds herself becoming increasingly doglike with tuffs of hair and other canine features appearing on her body. These might be real or they may be delusions but the animalistic features express the mother’s inner nature erupting in response to this confined existence. The filmmakers are on the mother’s side but her circumstances are complicated by her own culpability. In the opening scene Adams’ character confesses that she is in a prison of her own making and the fight between the wife and husband (Scoot McNairy) requires both characters to own up to their failings. The mother’s canine transformation leads to a violent episode that complicates her emancipation and makes Adams’ character rethink her approach. The film isn’t about rejecting motherhood or family but about redefining it in a way that is meaningful and fair for all parties involved. Nightbitch has a terrific performance by Amy Adams that is simultaneously funny and sad and the filmmaking conveys the desperate nature of her desires and the exhaustion of parenthood.
What Doesn’t: The canine transformation of Amy Adams’ character is not necessarily to be taken literally. This aspect of the movie is less fantasy and more magical realism. It works symbolically but the transformation theme is dropped from the story. Nightbitch dramatizes a specific challenge faced by contemporary women who have chosen maternity at the expense of professional or creative pursuits. This situation is a real one experienced by some women and it’s worthwhile to dramatize and explore. However, there is a very Hollywood disconnect between the domestic life depicted in this film and the lived reality of most Americans. The husband of Nightbitch is employed and apparently makes enough money to support a family and a house in an affluent neighborhood. This situation is rare and often inaccessible in contemporary American life. In that respect, Nightbitch comes across a little anachronistic and tone deaf. Many people would love to live the life of Amy Adams’ character. That’s not to deny the challenges faced by stay-at-home parents but it is to acknowledge that this film, like many Hollywood movies, has an economic blind spot.
Disc extras: Available on Hulu.
Bottom Line: Nightbitch is a funny and imaginative critique of motherhood and domesticity. The scenario it conjures is very specific in a way that may prove alienating to some viewers. But the core ideas of Nightbitch are intriguing and well dramatized through Amy Adams’ performance. Couples may find it useful to view and analyze this film together.
Episode: #1030 (January 5, 2025)