Review of Nocturnal Animals (2016) by Jon P — 04 Jan 2017

Through a tense framing technique, Tom Ford's harrowing drama drops gifted actors into two gripping, intertwining tales.

The stories come stylishly adapted from a novel written by Austin Wright. One is a tragic tumbleweed thriller riddled with guilt, the other is a doomed romance mourning a lost-but-not-forgotten connection.

The film is driven purely by sentimentality, but its characters are so flawed, ambiguous and skilfully nuanced that they never appear saccharine or dull. Visually and narratively, Nocturnal Animals is a style hybrid, which seeks not only to entertain, but to enthral and to force audiences to think twice about its far-reaching themes of love, loss, weakness and revenge. In that, Ford's film succeeds and is sure to leave viewers musing over its meaning long after the credits roll. Expect fan theories and heartbreak to follow.