‘Nightbitch' is Fine, But Amy Adams Delivers a BRILLIANT Performance [TIFF]

The good news is that Marielle Heller’s “Nightbitch,” which screened last night at the Princess of Wales, is much better than that silly trailer hinted at. Amy Adams is spectacular in the role of stay-at-home mom who starts to mentally crack, to the point where she believes she’s quite literally turning into a dog.

The first reactions are also in and “Nightbitch” has a 69 on Metacritic (based on 6 reviews). That score will probably go down slightly, but that doesn’t matter; All hail, Amy Adams! I knew Adams had it in her to make a comeback, and here she delivers some of the best work of her career. What an emotional, brave and darkly intimate performance on her part.

“Nightbitch” is a primal scream of maternal pain, playing with very real emotions, as Adams’ mother tries to make sense of the tiresome and all-too-real ordeal of motherhood. Her husband (Scoot McNairy) is barely present, always going on work trips, to the point where she’s left to fend for herself. Her tired state, the random bouts of crying, the emotional distress of not having the time for yourself, it’s all there in Adams’ eyes.

I loved Anne McCabe’s editing, which assembles the mundane daily rituals of Adams’ mother. If you’re a parent, then you can relate a lot to what this film says about investment and responsibility. It’s also at times a darkly funny film, one which seems unafraid to admit that taking care of a child can sometimes, to put it nicely, suck.

With that said, the film itself has these very far-fetched moments, mostly the fantastical scenes where Adams turns into a canine, using clunky CGI, no less, to shove its point down our throats. It’s an over-the-top metaphor. The whole raison d’etre of these dog scenes is for the film to show just how primal and animalistic motherhood can be, but they just don’t work.

“Nightbitch” is also a very ugly film to look at. The colors are off, and the photography is too slick. Compare it to Heller’s “Diary of A Teenage Girl” or “Can You Ever Forgive Me,” both shot on better cameras, and it’s a night and day difference. The film could have used the grittier look of those films instead of its more neutered and commercial visual approach.

Regardless, I’m more interested in Adams’ work here, which, to my eyes at least, is Oscar-worthy. Heller wrote the screenplay with the source material’s author, Rachel Yoder, and the result is a passable script that’s elevated by an actress at the full height of her powers — it’s high-wire work on her part.