[yasr_overall_rating]
An art gallery owner is haunted by her ex-husband’s novel, a violent thriller she interprets as a veiled threat and a symbolic revenge tale.
Jumping between storylines, especially between a novel and the “real world,” is tricky and if done wrong, can lead to a sub-par viewing experience for the audience. “Nocturnal Animals” rises above this problem and seamlessly intertwines not one, not two, but three storylines into itself, each being stylistically distinct in a way that signals a subtle change for the viewer. The story follows Susan (Amy Adams), an art dealer who is living a life of sadness and want, despite being surrounded by flashy items and expensive tastes. Her and her husband Hutton (Armie Hammer) are struggling financially and emotionally, both are on the brink of collapse and it is here that a manuscript from Susan’s ex-husband, Edward (Jake Gyllenhaal) comes into her possession. Everything about this manuscript is a metaphor, its title, something that Edward used to call Susan, it is dedicated to her, the story within is a sharp contrast to their time together, it’s a genius centerpiece that delivers a breathtaking experience.
The novel features Tony who is also played by Gyllenhaal, taking his family from Dallas and moving them to Marfa. Along the way they are terrorized and ran off the road by a group of misfits led by Aaron Taylor Johnson who brings the films underlying fears to visual fruition. As mentioned earlier, the book seems to be a metaphorical representation of Susan and Edward’s time together yet director Tom Ford structures this film in a way that will leave the extent of which the novel stops becoming a metaphor and stars becoming a parallel to the viewer.
Ford does an incredible job in creating a contrast between the main two storylines. The cinematography for the Texas scenes are gritty, tense, and emotionally unstable, which is a direct correlation with Tony, and when the transition is made back to Susan, the cinematic experience becomes dull, colorless, and emotionally draining yet flashy and expensive. That signals a visual interpretation of Susan just as the Texas scenes do with Tony. The score of this film ties everything together. It causes internal stress as well as reflection. It drives the scene home and obliterates the ability to have a wandering mind when watching the film. “Nocturnal Animals” is a film you can get wrapped up in and identify with. It will reflect you in some way and for Ford to be able to construct something like that is an incredible feat. From beginning to end, this film is one that will capture your attention and keep it.
In theaters Friday, November 18th
