Nocturnal Animals
DVD Review by Kam Willams
Susan
Morrow (Amy Adams) hears from her estranged, ex-husband Edward (Jake
Gyllenhaal) for the first time in almost 20 years when he
mails her an advance copy of his upcoming novel, "Nocturnal
Animals." Not only is she surprised to discover that he's
dedicated the book to her, but that he'd like to get together for
dinner the next time he's in Los Angeles.
Far more
unsettling is Edward's semi-autobiographical manuscript which seems
to be making thinly-veiled references to their failed marriage. While
Susan had managed to move on with her life, it is suddenly apparent
to her that he'd remained stuck in the past and might now be
rehashing their relationship as a literary form of therapy.
After all,
back when they were dating, Susan had been warned by her imperious,
well-heeled mother (Laura Linney) that she'd regret tying the knot
with a romantic, aspiring writer from a relatively-humble background.
Sure enough, the family matriarch knew best, as the mismatched couple
did eventually divorce.
However,
while Susan went on to become a celebrated art curator and to remarry
a businessman (Armie Hammer) who could afford to keep her living in
the lap of luxury, Edward has yet to achieve anything approaching
their level of success. Instead, the emotionally-stunted scribe has
ostensibly been venting all of his angst in an opus that truly
frightens his former wife.
It is
abundantly clear that the novel's unstable protagonist, Tony Hastings
(Jake Gyllenhaal), is based on
Edward, and that the salacious series of events chronicled in the
oft-gruesome text are the product of a terribly troubled mind. The
only reason Susan might even entertain the idea of a rendezvous with
a man she hasn't even spoken to in a couple of decades, against her
better judgment, is the fact that she's just learned that her second
hubby is having an affair.
So unfolds
Nocturnal Animals, a cerebral suspense thriller directed and adapted
by Tom Ford from the Austin Wright
best seller, "Tony and Susan." The movie's only Oscar
nomination was landed by veteran thespian Michael Shannon in the Best
Supporting Actor category.
The
film revolves around a sublime deconstruction of Susan's shifting
mental state, from her present-day predicament, to flashbacks of her
relationship with Edward, to her perspective of disturbing scenes
from his unpublished novel. A haunting deconstruction, worthy of
Hitchcock, of a vulnerable socialite's very fragile psyche.
Excellent (4
stars)
Rated R
for menacing, violence, profanity and graphic nudity
Running time: 116 minutes
Distributor: Universal
Pictures Home Entertainment
Blu-ray/DVD
Combo Pack Extras: Three Making of Nocturnal Animals
featurettes: Building the Story; The Look of Nocturnal Animals; and
The Filmmaker's Eye: Tom Ford.
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