Film Review: ‘Nocturnal Animals’

“Animals” an imperfect but worthwhile experience.

Nocturnal Animals is written and directed by Tom Ford, based on the novel Tony and Susan by Austin Wright. It stars Amy Adams, Jake Gyllenhaal, Michael Shannon, Aaron Taylor-Johnson, Isla Fisher, Armie Hammer, Laura Linney, and Michael Sheen.

Sooner or later, Tom Ford is going to make a masterpiece. Primarily known as a fashion designer, in 2009 he released his feature film debut, A Single Man. This was an intimate character piece centered around a remarkable, Academy Award-nominated performance by Colin Firth. It showed incredible confidence, and was by no means the empty vanity project it had every right to be. His latest film, Nocturnal Animals, is even more daring.

The plot concerns Susan Morrow (Adams), the owner of an art gallery. Her husband (Hammer) is indifferent and unfaithful, and she is growing disenchanted with her work at the gallery. She receives a letter out of the blue from her ex-husband Edward Sheffield (Gyllenhaal), along with the manuscript of his latest novel, which is dedicated to her. What unfolds is a sort of nested narrative, as we experience both the events in Susan’s life and the novel (entitled “Nocturnal Animals”) as she reads it. The sequences set in the novel are a fascinating change of pace. The first one in particular is a master class in tension. For a while, the film becomes a thriller. It’s amazing how much anxiety Ford rings out of these sequences, seeing as we know as audience members it is all “fictional.”

The bravado of Ford’s filmmaking here is formidable. To put it simply, he directs the living hell out of this movie. He shows a real command of tone, and with the aid of cinematographer Seamus McGarvey, pulls off some visuals that are positively smokin’. He also gets some very good performances out of his rock solid cast (seriously, look at it). Jake Gyllenhaal and Michael Shannon are particularly fantastic. And Aaron Taylor-Johnson is…actually really great, which is something I was never sure I was going to say. Amy Adams is also a standout (between this and Arrival she is having an excellent year). Abel Korzeniowski’s score is also used very effectively. It borders on melodramatic at times, but when married with the visuals it just plain works. If I had to describe the overall vibe of the film in one word, that word would be “intoxicating.”

That is not to say, however, that I had no reservations with the film. While Ford’s filmmaking chops are impeccable, at the conceptual level, it feels a little bit half-baked. The entire design here feels reverse-engineered from moments that are “cool” or “cinematic.” It’s like Ford conceived of a shot or cut or sequence with aesthetic impact and only after the fact worked it into a larger context. At times, if you squint, it feels like a perfume commercial, like a parody of an art film. The word “pretentious” might also apply to certain moments. It often feels like it is grasping for a significance that it can’t quite reach (the way the film opens is a prime example of this).

I ultimately enjoyed Nocturnal Animals, and thought it a worthwhile experience, but I’m not sure I would argue with those who dislike it.

-Anthony Calamunci