NIGHTBITCH
(The 2024 Middleburg Film Festival ran October 17-20. Check our Chris Reed’s Nightbitch movie review. Seen it? Join the conversation with HtN on our Letterboxd Page.)
Nightbitch, the new film from Marielle Heller (A Beautiful Day in the Neighborhood), tells the story of a new mom dealing with the challenges of parenting as, no longer producing the art that defined her in the world, she struggles to maintain a sense of self. Amy Adams (Disenchanted) plays the (unnamed) lead, imbuing her with humor, pathos, steely resolve, and more. She propels the narrative forward, bringing the smart screenplay—adapted by Heller from Rachel Yoder’s eponymous 2021 book—to sharp and funny life. Motherhood, in all its pain and glory, has rarely received such a fresh and honest cinematic treatment.
The movie starts with barely managed chaos. Adams’ character has only recently given up work to stay at home with her son, her husband (Scoot McNairy, Speak No Evil) missing for the first 20 minutes or so. It turns out his job requires him to frequently travel and that the couple decided that having one of them stay home and take care of their child was the best financial option. Unfortunately, mom didn’t fully realize what losing her identity as an artist would do to her.
Despite her best efforts not to socialize with other local mothers, she nevertheless reluctantly makes friends with three of them at the library, where the children sing along to fun music (strummed and sung by Heller’s brother Nate, also the film’s composer, as he has been on all his sister’s movies). These other women—Zoë Chao (I Used to Go Here), Mary Holland (Maggie Moore(s)), and Archana Rajan—offer some comfort in misery (and joy, for there is that, too), but no true companionship.
Her loneliness is compounded by her husband’s genial cluelessness. “Happiness is a choice,” he tells her, resulting in a slap across the face. Or not, for that violent reaction turns out to be just in her head. Still, she would have cause, for platitudes are most definitely not what she needs.
Hitting her husband is not the only thing she fantasizes about. At night, she imagines she is turning into a dog. Or is it only a dream? She appears to be growing extra nipples, as well as hair on her back, and even a tail. To top it all off, the family cat seems more and more annoying. Soon, other canines gather around, calling her to the wild.
As a study of post-partum depression and/or psychosis, Nightbitch offers a clever take on something not so pleasant. Despite the very real stakes of the main character’s plight, Heller never forgets to leaven the drama with comedy. The result is a thoroughly engaging, magnificently crafted tale where sadness and (occasional) bliss sit uneasily (but perfectly) side by side. It’s profound and fun in equal measure.
– Christopher Llewellyn Reed (@ChrisReedFilm)
2024 Middleburg Film Festival; Marielle Heller; Nightbitch
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