Nightbitch

A feel-good comedy about the joys and fears of parenthood, whose female protagonist tries to find a balance between motherhood and her private life so that, as a full-time stay-at-home mom, she doesn’t start to lose her own identity and creative ambition as an artist in her own time. Despite the trailer, you really shouldn’t expect a horror movie about how one woman becomes a wild predatory beast under the influence of her maternal instincts and suddenly awakened animal instincts. There are roughly six minutes of physical transformations in the whole film and all of them happen in her head. The animal metaphors and hints of body horror, apparently taken from the book on which the film is based (and which are incidental at best and spasmodic at worst), are paradoxically not at all necessary in order for the film to serve as a celebration of mothers, including their pain, patience, and selflessness, which also shows the darker sides of caring for a child, as well as feelings of disappointment, failure, doubt and lack of recognition (which makes the film an ideal, almost therapeutic viewing experience for new parents). In terms of narrative, the film has its shortcomings, as it relies on common stereotypes and literal statements, and the shapeshifting animal motif strangely sticks out a bit like sore thumb, but the dialogue is occasionally sharp and Amy Adams, who puts everything she’s got into her difficult and emotionally varied lead role, is absolutely excellent. (08.10.2024)