Heartland International Film Festival Movie Review: ‘Nightbitch’

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Review by James Lindorf

For the second year in a row, MovieMaker Magazine has named the Heartland International Film Festival one of “The 25 Coolest Film Festivals in the World” and one of “50 Film Festivals Worth the Entry Fee.” The festival may be over, but you can see what made the event so cool by searching for #HIFF33 on social media. Over 11 days, organizers hosted 200 filmmakers, 298 screenings, 27 U.S. & World Premieres, 15 special events, and 7500+ virtual streams. The next film in my festival recap is Searchlight Pictures “Nightbitch,” which will begin its theatrical run on December 6th.

Based on Rachel Yoder’s bestselling novel of the same name, “Nightbitch” stars Amy Adams, credited only as Mother, as a former artist and current stay-at-home mother who has lost her sense of self. Thanks to her local librarian/spiritual guide, Norma (Jessica Harper), she starts to claw her way back from nothingness with the side effect of turning into a dog. Mother is practically a single parent, with her Husband (Scoot McNairy) traveling for work more often than he is home. When he is home, his connection with Mother and Son is tenuous at best, as he has no idea about their current needs and desires. As her senses improve, her body hair increases, and she fights the urge to howl at the moon. Mother just might find that she can be so much more.

Writer and Director Marielle Heller went all out in her adaptation of Yoder’s novel. She pulled multiple themes and genres from the prose and brought them to the screen. “Nightbitch” is sometimes an emotional family drama, a dark comedy, and most unexpectedly, a body horror folk tale. It is an impressive and excessive amount of work. “Nightbitch” is enjoyable and entertaining throughout if you enjoy a quirky drama. Still, if the horror or comedy elements are what you came to see, you will be increasingly disappointed as the film progresses.

The film opens in its comedy phase. Amy Adams is going about her day, but we experience many interactions twice. First, she says what she is thinking and feeling in the moment, whether with an old colleague, a woman at mommy and me events, her son, or her husband, before we hear her socially acceptable answer. It is also where the film is most judgmental of other mothers and partners. While Mother grows to appreciate that other women are not inherently mean or perfect, but it is her insecurities and frustrations driving a wedge between them instead. The same can’t be said about her relationship with Husband. McNairy’s character is away from home more than he is there, and when he is present, he often makes things more difficult. Whether his incompetence is genuine or weaponized is unclear. We never know because the two of them refuse to have a conversation of substance until it leads to an earth-shaking fight. My instinct is that Heller wrote it as weaponized incompetence because no male character in the film doesn’t at least annoy Mother. We see instances of men judging her parenting and her food choices, and there is even some secondhand mansplaining during her lone night out with friends. This imbalance and the aggressive nature of her inner thoughts while occasionally laugh out loud funny will cause issues for people who didn’t enjoy America Ferrera’s speech in “Barbie.”

The folklore and body horror take the lead during the film’s center when scene-stealing Jessica Harper recommends a book to Mother and sends her dog fantasies and desires for freedom into overdrive. Mother starts enjoying a carefree style of play with Son, and she develops a taste for lots of meat along with some extra body hair and appendages. The gross-out factor hits its peak when a pus-filled growth that may or may not be the start of a tail is lanced with an inefficiently sterilized needle. It is unclear if these events are just her subconsciousness giving her the ability to run free like a member of a pack of wild dogs or if she comes from a line of women that, when repressed, have developed this ability. Most of the effects seem temporary, but others notice their side effects. Then there is a shocking death that wasn’t her imagination, and instead of being expounded upon, this is where that thread is dropped so a different genre can take the reins for the final act. Unfortunately, the film’s final section is the most generic of the three. It tries too hard to give her a great ending that hints at perfection. Because the comedy and folklore were suppressed, it feels like a climax that could have been in a dozen other movies. Not bad by any stretch, but less inspired and less inspiring.

“Nightbitch” intensely discusses modern parenting, relationships, and friendships. Whether or not Mother’s transformations are real or figurative, they leave her a changed woman. One who is a happier and more honest version of herself, something we can all aspire to. Pairing an outstanding and fully committed performance from Amy Adams with its important messaging and flawed pacing earned “Nightbitch” a 4 out of 5.

Rating: R (Language and Some Sexuality)
Genre: Comedy, Horror, Drama
Original Language: English
Director: Marielle Heller
Producer: Amy Adams, Anne Carey, Megan Ellison, Marielle Heller, Sue Naegle, Stacy O’Neil, Christina Oh, Adam Paulsen, Sammy Scher
Screenwriter:Marielle Heller
Distributor:Searchlight Pictures
Production Co: Annapurna Pictures, Archer Gray
Release Date (Theaters): Dec 6, 2024, Limited
Runtime:1h 38m