Getty ImagesAmy Adams stars in a new film that has its UK premiere at the London Film Festival, in which she plays a mother who believes she turns into a dog at night.
Based on Rachel Yoder’s 2019 novel, Night Bitch may sound strange on the surface, but it serves more of a metaphor for the nature of motherhood.
Adams plays an unnamed woman who quits her job as an artist to stay home full-time to care for her young son while her husband continues to work.
But she found herself increasingly identifying with the dog’s behavior – acting on her wild instincts and fiercely protective of her offspring.
The lines between reality and fantasy become increasingly blurred, and she struggles to separate them, ultimately leading her to question whether she needs more balance in her life.
searchlightThe film has been Maureen Lee Lenker of Entertainment Weekly described it as “A funny, creative, brutally honest mother figure.”
"This is not a movie about how parenting can ruin your life," Vanity Fair’s Hillary Business notes”, “But it does reveal deeply how monotonous caring for young children can be.
“Night Bitch” will be released in December, starring “A Beautiful Day in the Neighborhood” and “Can You Ever Forgive Me?” “Filmmaker Marielle Heller (Marielle Heller) directed.
Her latest has some small elements of body horror – the mother grows fur, extra nipples and a tail – but with Demi Moore’s latest movie ‘Material’.
Adams’ previous film credits include “Arrival,” “Nocturnal Animals,” “American Hustle,” “Dear Evan Hansen,” “Veep” and “The Woman in the Window.”
Heller and Adams hit the red carpet at the British premiere of “The Night Mother” at London’s Royal Festival Hall on Wednesday.
Getty ImagesIn an interview with Vanity Fair, Adams said she found Yoder’s novel “unique and otherworldly, unlike anything I’ve read before”, adding: “What I really loved was this loss of identity idea.
Reflecting on her character’s journey in the film, Adams explained: “Through her upbringing—through her mother—she was exposed to something larger and more primal.”
The 98-minute film received generally positive reviews, although some critics felt that not every idea explored in the film lived up to its potential.
“The brilliance of ‘Night Bitch’ is that it not only shows the isolation and loneliness of motherhood, cut off from her former self and life,” Lenk said in her review, “it goes even further.”
She describes Heller and Adams as “a dynamic duo who find ways to pepper their bizarre stories with brutal honesty, quirky humor and a desire to celebrate the chaos and magic of motherhood.”
searchlight“Loving your children but hating motherhood is a conflict that Heller captures with an honesty we often don’t see.” Pajiba’s Sara Clements noted.
“The transformation of the mother character takes on a primal feel in its prosaic truth, and Adams’s performance is beastly.”
Jourdain Sayles in “White Lies” added: “While The Night Mother may be corny, there’s no denying the universal truth behind the story.”
elsewhere, Next Best Picture’s Nadia Dallimont writes: “While Heller strives to balance visual concepts and philosophical themes, it’s her compassionate sensibility that drives The Night Mother home.”
However, Natalia Keogan of AV Club says This “mundane” film somehow doesn’t live up to its full potential.
“It’s normal to feel excited when one’s experience is accurately represented on screen, but a successful film requires more than just a mirror,” she said.
“While it highlights the obscurity and vital presence of mothers, The Night Mother does not explore the broader social devaluation that actually contributes to women’s dissatisfaction.”
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