A twisted, dark, seductive psychodrama, Nocturnal Animals is a wickedly entertaining film. Initially it is a mystery what direction the story is taking, and that is what makes director Tom Ford’s creation a film noir wonder that will intoxicate and tantalize. Layered with storylines from past and present that are interwoven into fiction, Nocturnal Animals sucks its viewers into a complex narrative that slowly unveils its true purpose.
The film opens with odd disturbing images of middle-aged obese burlesque dancers used as an art display for a show put together by stylish and sleek gallery manager Susan Marrow (Amy Adams). On the surface it appears that Susan has the perfect life. She shares a beautiful modern LA home with Hutton (Armie Hammer) her wealthy and handsome husband. But we learn quickly that Susan is miserable, doing a job she hates, spending her life with a cheating husband, and regretting decisions from her past that set her life on a course she did not want. Out of the blue, Susan receives a draft of a novel sent to her by Edward (Jake Gyllenhaal), her ex-husband she divorced 20 years ago after getting bad advice from her mother Ann (Laura Linney), a stereotypical southern socialite that convinces her daughter she is marrying beneath her.
A chronic insomniac, Susan sits down to read the draft of Edward’s novel and seems very touched when she sees he has not only dedicated the book to her but also named the book after his nickname for her – “Nocturnal Animals.” As Susan dives deeper into the book she soon realizes that Edward has an odd sense of humor and certainly did not mean the dedication of the book to her as an act of lingering love for his ex-wife. Susan is immediately sucked into story and she creates real life characters in her mind to play out the horror created by Edward’s novel.
Susan’s imagination comes to life while reading the draft as we see Tony (also Jake Gyllenhaal), his wife Laura (Isla Fisher), and their spunky teenage daughter India (Ellie Bamber) take a road trip on a West Texas highway that turns into their worst nightmare. The threesome is run off the road by redneck hoodlums Ray (Aaron Taylor-Johnson), Turk (Robert Aramayo) and Lou (Karl Glusman). Ray is the ring leader in his game of intimidation and harassment as he toys with the family that he manages to strand on the side of a deserted highway. Things go completely wrong when Ray and his two cohorts kidnap Laura and India. Susan is horrified by the brutality of the story she is reading as she learns the fate of Tony and his family.
The page turner Susan is engrossed in starts a series of flashbacks to her time with Edward and the choices she made that changed the course of her life. As she invests time into the characters now living her mind, Susan sees the similarities between Edward’s book and the things she did to him while they were married. She is forced to face the harm she caused Edward with the hurtful actions she took while they were married as well as the domino affect her decisions made in her current life. The book is Edward’s final revenge for Susan to face the reality of the type of woman she has become and the consequences of her actions.
The acting in Nocturnal Animals is spectacular. Amy Adams takes Susan from a wide-eyed hopeful college debutante that develops into a cold and icy calculating perfectionist without missing a beat. Michael Shannon plays fictitious Texas lawman Bobby Andes with the eccentric flare he is famous for in all his roles. Shannon is a delight to watch as he spits out his rough around the edges character’s witty cynical dialogue. Aaron Taylor-Johnson is an embodiment of fear. With his chiseled model face, Johnson is a beautiful man playing a sadistic villain, and it is his good looks that make him all the more creepy to watch. And of course, there is the knock out performance by Jake Gyllenhaal. Playing two roles, Gyllenhaal digs deep into the emotional struggles of a man trying to overcome his weakness and another man overcoming fear and crippling grief. In both roles Jake captures the poignant struggles of men facing difficult choices and overcoming impossible odds in impossible situations.
Nocturnal Animals is a crafty film that at first seems to make no sense, but then cleverly weaves all the intricate elements together. This odd gripping psychological drama puts an interesting twist on the sweet taste of revenge and will cause a stir and a lot of conversation once it comes to an unexpected ending.
