For all of its glitz and glamor, Nocturnal Animals is, at its core, an introspective look at love, loss, and loose ends.
Leave it to Tom Ford, world renowned fashion designer (fans include Beyonce, Anne Hathaway, Bradley Cooper, Will Smith, and Julianne Moore to name a few), to create such a visceral and complexly beautiful follow-up to his directorial debut A Single Man with the sexy revenge thriller Nocturnal Animals. Based on the novel Tony and Susan by Austin Wright, Ford proves that he can conquer yet another multi-million dollar industry with the same grace that has earned him an elite status in the fashion world. Using his expertise, Ford’s meticulous eye picks up the minutiae of each character, giving the film a full-bodied story that makes it both an edge-of-your-seat thriller and also a breathtakingly gorgeous lookbook.
Upon first glance, Susan Morrow (Amy Adams) seems to have it all: a handsome husband (Armie Hammer), a beautiful modern home in the Hollywood Hills, and a prestigious career as an art gallery owner. However, the look on her face reveals that she is not happy; her handsome husband leaves her in that beautiful home alone most nights as he travels for business and conducts affairs on the side. Her latest gallery installation seems to taunt her with the one thing she wants most: freedom. Unsatisfied with her situation, Susan perks up upon receiving a book manuscript from her ex-husband Edward Sheffield (Jake Gyllenhaal), titled Nocturnal Animals. Although they haven’t spoken in over 20 years, the note Edward sends along with the book explains that he wanted Susan to read his novel first, as she was the source of inspiration. As Susan delves deeper into Edward’s story of heartbreak and revenge, she is forced to re-confront the dark secrets she had buried away and the consequences of the past she tried to forget.
The intricacy of Nocturnal Animals, which won the Grand Jury Prize at the 2016 Venice International Film Festival, comes into play as Susan begins to read the manuscript. Ford creates a “story within a story” with the novel- creating the world of the book as written by Edward. Jake Gyllenhaal also plays Edward’s fictional character Tony Hastings, a married father of one. His wife, who is supposed to represent Susan in spirit, is Laura Hastings, played by Isla Fisher. Their daughter India (Ellie Bamber) completes this secular, fictional family. The scenes that are from the book’s POV have a contemporary Western feel- both in its vibrant look (Ford shot on film) and character breakdown; including a malicious sociopath Ray Marcus, a phenomenally brutal performance by Aaron Taylor-Johnson, and the Southern-drawled antihero played by Michael Shannon who balances the comedic and temperamental personality of his character, Officer Bobby Andes, just right. As the film jumps from the past to present to fiction, it finds strength in the depth of all of its characters, which fuels the cyclical motion of this layered story.
It’s a well-known fact that silence commands attention, and Tom Ford has mastered this art on screen. Amy Adams exhibits more acting through her detailed movements and expressions than she does through verbal communication. Her performance is kept close to the chest but is fully dramatic and confident nonetheless. Ford seems to find his comfort zone and subsequent directorial voice in this silence; he himself being a rather soft-spoken man. After watching his films, it’s evident that they come from a personal place, not literal, per se, but an intimate origin.
For all of its glitz and glamour, Nocturnal Animals is, at its core, an introspective look at love, loss, and loose ends. This isn’t the type of film that leaves you restless at night, fearing that a creature is going to interfere with your life in some way. Rather it leaves you wanting more- a fuller resolution, a ghost to pin tension on. Yet again, Tom Ford succeeds in leaving his audience with a topic of conversation to discuss after the film ends. The open ended-ness could perhaps be looked at as questionable screenwriting, but personally, I think it makes for one grand finale of emotional tension.
‘Nocturnal Animals’ is rated R for violence, menace, graphic nudity, and language. 117 minutes. In select theaters on Friday, November 18th.
