Nightbitch | Film Review

An artist-turned stay-at-home-mum's (Amy Adams) problems with motherhood begin to manifest in strange and fantastical ways - including her transformation into a dog.

I was really looking forward to seeing this film. After hearing the premise and being a bit unsure about it, I watched an interview with Amy Adams where she talked a bit about the metaphor of the idea, and it seemed like it would be a really intriguing watch.

I ended up liking the film, though I did have some problems with it.

I loved that from the very first second you are in the mother's head. We are completely with her, and we see everything from her point of view.

She is a great character both to root for and to sympathise with, and Adams plays the role so well.

It does a really good job of showing what the character is going through without making overarching negative statements on parenthood.

It also did a great job of rooting the fantastical concept in reality - though it could have leaned into the absurdity a lot more. My biggest gripe with the film is that it seemed a bit scared to go all the way with turning the character into a dog - every time something absurd happened, it then pulled things right back. For me, if you're going to have a concept this 'out there', it only really works if you commit to it.

There are a lot of messages within the film, with some of the major themes being motherhood, parenthood, community, friendship, identity and independence, and this made the overall film quite thought-provoking.

Speaking of messages, there were also a few really powerful monologues, but the problem with these is that there becomes a lot more telling throughout the film than showing. We know how the character feels because she tells us repeatedly.

Overall I enjoyed this film despite my issues with it, and definitely think it's worth a watch.

6.5/10