Nocturnal Animals- Ford's Thriller Shakes You To The Core
With ‘A Single Man’ Ford proves he could make an upsetting and heartfelt film with a deep connection plus layers of sympathy. However, ‘Nocturnal Animals’ is proof a film can be upsetting in a different way, a disturbing and unsettling tale that shakes the viewer to the core. Ford attempts his hands at a thriller but manages to put a unique twist on it by creating a dual narrative that is subtlety interwoven in a symbolic and complex way. I felt the similar way to this as Ford’s previous film, I am not sure if I enjoyed this film as it is just so harsh, he clearly knows how to manipulate his audience but still manages to create a beautiful film. He moves away from the more art-house approach from his debut, the film is less stylised and instead is an ambitious thriller with a gorgeous presentation.
Amy Adams plays Susan, an art director who receives a book from her ex-husband, the rest of the narrative shows Susan reading the book as well as the events of the books played out. It’s a genius presentation that takes full advantage of both narratives, whilst events in the book transpire to a compelling deeper reading of the real-life storyline. Susan lives a life which is clearly not the life that she wants, displayed by an absurd opening sight demonstrating the façade of her art career. This is a highly subjective film, but I definitely see it as a criticism of class and the superficiality of the world Tom Ford is a part of. We are put so perfectly into Susan’s shoes, she is cynical and pretentious about her world whilst at the same time feeling like she doesn’t quite belong, this is all embodied through Ford’s (understandably) great costume and set design. Then, if you look at the book, we see Susan brought down a bit, Edward (her ex-husband played by the formidable Jake Gyllenhaal) wrights a book directed at her as a symbolic revenge and an instruction for her to develop as a person. There is so much to unpack in the rich symbolism of ‘Nocturnal Animals’, it is extremely down to interpretation which as per alienates audiences.
This is a visceral film, a film that is tough and harsh and never holds back in its presentation and this is completely down to its incredible cast. I have always loved Gyllenhaal as an actor, and although not quite as iconic as several other roles he has played, he pulls off an extremely sympathetic performance as he falls into desperate revenge. It’s upsetting to watch this vulnerable character manipulated by Michael Shannon and Aaron Taylor Johnson’s characters. Shannon is terrifying as the Sheriff, his gruff and aggressive personality contrasts Gyllenhaal’s perfectly and exposes a thematic strand too Ford’s exploration of masculinity. The villainous Johnson is genuinely revolting to watch, he’s uncomfortable and grotesque and his performance creates such hatred from the audience, a binary opposition of extreme masculinity figures is created to rain down on Gyllenhaal’s character. I think Amy Adams is a serviceable actress through and through, but Ford doesn’t give her enough to do to prove if she has any range. I think her character is the weakest performance but purely because of her one note written character, she maintains this sad worn out character but never excels past there. Expectation and façade are the focus of the film, what we see ourselves as in relation to others and how we maintain self-façades for no reason but the obligation is an interesting reading of the film.
Compared to ‘A Single Man’, Ford has resorted to a much more toned-down visual style, creating a stunning visual treat with occasional uses of expressionistic ideas yet remaining stripped back enough to feel more human and authentic. There is distinct visual storytelling running through each parallel narrative with contrasting colour grading used effectively and with restraint. With no experience in the area, I’m unsure if Ford’s costume design is heightened as he portrays the ridiculousness of the art world. This may be my own ignorance, but I do enjoy how he heightens each story to create such binary opposites as a symbolic narrative and character development.
I struggled a lot to write about ‘Nocturnal Animals’, it is such a visceral film that is purely an experience one has to experience themselves. I do really encourage people to look at this film because it is something that you definitely won't regret viewing and that you definitely won't stop thinking about in a while. It’s not for everyone and it's certainly not an enjoyable viewing experience but give it a go and try to appreciate Ford’s accomplishment.
Thanks for reading, my reviews are going to be increasingly infrequent for a while due to circumstances but let me know if there are any suggestions that you particularly want!