Review of Nocturnal Animals (2016) by Christian H — 19 Dec 2016

The story of a divorced art designer Susan who receives a manuscript from her ex-husband, which she begins to suspect is a form of psychological revenge for her past. This is Tom Fords second film, the first being A Single Man from 7 years ago, and it is a superb second feature, which is often a hard endeavor.

The story is immensely disturbing and restless, and consists of a woman remembering and regretting the mistakes of her life. However it must be said that Ford manages to navigate this with elegance. The narrative is driven enough for you to stay engaged, and yet looking back every scene is one that could leave you in deep thought. Ford also manages to control the dual nature of the story; one strand the manuscript which is read throughout the film, a west Texas revenge flick, as well as the reflections of Susan in the real world in both the past and present.

He also manages to tell these stories with both familiarity and difference, one complements the other, and yet are completely unique. This is in part due to some incredible camera work (DOP Seamus McGarvey) and handling of the two very different locations, the Baking Texas desert and the cold clean world of Los Angeles, but also some particularly well paced cutting between the two (Editor Joan Sobel) as well as Abel Korzeniowski's lush, string based score.

The use of faces in the film is also very tactile. The cast is filled with top notch support from Shannon, Taylor-Johnson and Gyllenhall, all at the level of quality you would expect, but also in the small parts some recognizable faces; Martin Sheen, Jenna Malone, Isla Fischer and . Ford manages to create characters from these in a very small amount of time, using location and expression masterfully, a sign of a great director.

And yet Amy Adams still shines. She puts in one heck of a performance here, partly due to being blessed with a very versatile face, that can be both deep and motherly, and sharp and void. Reading a manuscript for the best part of two hours is hard to make engaging, and she manages rather well.

There is also traces of a comment on the fashion industry. Ford is a fashion designer by trade, and there is a plethora of glamorous dresses (and Susan's hilariously over-sized glasses) on show, some of which I'm sure must be placement for Fords own brand (though it's hardly intrusive). But there seems to be a disdain for it, as well as a deep affection, and I wonder if this effect could be pulled off without Ford at the center. It makes for a fascinating contrast to Nic Refn's horror story The Neon Demon.

It's not what I'd call enjoyable. It's haunting and unsatisfying. But it's also beautiful and fluid and seductive, and an incredible second feature for Tom Ford.