Film Review: Nocturnal Animals

Unusually for the United States, our release date for Tom Ford's second screenplay has come a little later than in the UK. While my friends back home were talking about watching this film weeks ago, we were only graced with the opportunity this week. After a failed attempt at attending a screening on Friday evening, we managed to bag ourselves some of the last seats for a showing yesterday afternoon. I honestly wasn't expecting it to be so popular, but after seeing it I can understand why.

Nocturnal Animals is unlike any other film I have seen. I found it to be much more of an artistic statement than an entertainment piece. The plot was emotional and gripping, but the film certainly acted as a creative outlet to play around with fashion, art, and interesting cinematography. Nocturnal Animals features a story within a story, creating endless opportunities to portray the parallel between characters, which Ford certainly achieved. The constant flicking between characters mirroring positions and the overwhelming heartbeat between Tony and Susan created visual and auditory parallels to help make sense of an otherwise intricate plot. 

The beginning scenes were very uncomfortable to watch but immediately had me invested in the characters. Ford even incorporated humorous moments that made light of the perceptions around the fashion industry, which offered a welcomed break from an otherwise dark film. One moment in the film that still doesn't make sense to me (mild spoiler alert) was the frightening appearance of Jake Gyllenhaal's character on the baby monitor. To me, this moment seemed more fitting as a jump tactic in a Paranormal Activity sequel and seemed out of place in a thoughtful and artistic Tom Ford film. 

Another element of the film I didn't quite understand was the casting of Isla Fisher as the female in the novel. While she gave an outstanding performance and her physical similarities to Amy Adams created a link between the characters, their appearances are too similar, leaving me questioning why they didn't just cast Adams twice like they did with Gyllenhaal, or select another redheaded actress whose likeliness wasn't as obvious. 

The film overall was very dark and intriguing. I'm usually the type of person to take a film as it comes and not bother trying to guess what is going to happen. This time I thought I'd give it a go but it was a hopeless attempt. The plot is very ambiguous and seems to develop another meaning every time I go over it. It's definitely one to discuss over dinner afterwards. Even if you're not big on fashion or art, I'd highly recommend watching Nocturnal Animals as I can't compare it to anything else. I wasn't sure what to expect from a fashion designer turned film director, but his artistic vision created a truly thought provoking cinema experience. 

Aderyn x

Photo credit: laineygossip.com