Nocturnal Animals: A Story of Malice and Contempt
A book within a film is a concept of unfamiliarity, but a genius one at that.
Nocturnal Animals confronts the way people cope with breakups in an unconventional way.
Susan (Amy Adams), now remarried and the owner of a successful art gallery receives a book in the mail from her ex-husband Edward (Jake Gyllenhaal) whom she hasn’t spoken to in 20 years.
The novel that is dedicated to her tells the story of a couple and their child who go on a road trip in Texas. While driving at night a group of rowdy men run them off the road, and after a long scene of arguing, pleading, and terror, the men drive away with the two women, leaving Tony in the dust. He spends the night alone in the desert and after a day of walking, he gets into contact with the police. Eventually, he finds his wife and daughter raped, murdered and posed on a decrepit red velvet couch. He spends the rest of the book hunting the men down with police help, and the novel ends with him murdering two of them and accidentally killing himself in the process.
As Susan reads the novel she realizes that the story is not a pleasant one, but a dark one. It seems as though Edward concentrated all of his emotions from their relationship into this book. The film toggles between her current life, memories of their relationship, and the story she is reading which makes for superb character development and a riveting plot.
When the film ends the viewer can see how the book reflected on their life together and explains how their happy life came to an abrupt and grim end. Edwards message to Susan was not only a ‘fuck you’ but he used this platform to say ‘you’re dead to me, our child that you aborted is gone, and I hope I am dead to you too’.
The plot contains so much contrast that it is hard to process all at once. Even though there is no obvious deeper meaning, the relationship between the novel and her true life force the viewer to really think about all the different elements that create this beautifully complicated and twisted story. The film might have viewers reflecting on past relationships and wondering how things got the way they did, or how they truly made each other feel.
This movie induces a range of emotions from tears, to shock, to grinning and back again. The way the different scenes are intertwined is flawless and exciting. The storyline may not have a direct connection with the viewer, however the plot and general concept of a breakup is relatable and gripping enough to make the viewer care. This style of editing and concept of placing novel into film is a fresh and creative perspective on the medium.
Overall, I appreciated the originality, concept and depth at which the film forced viewers to think.