Nocturnal Animals

Nocturnal Animals

27/1/2017 1h 57m 7.4/10

Overview

Susan Morrow receives a book manuscript from her ex-husband – a man she left 20 years earlier – asking for her opinion of his writing. As she reads, she is drawn into the fictional life of Tony Hastings, a mathematics professor whose family vacation turns violent.

Director

Tom Ford

Top Billed Cast

Jake Gyllenhaal

Jake Gyllenhaal

Edward Sheffield / Tony Hastings

Isla Fisher

Isla Fisher

Laura Hastings

Amy Adams

Amy Adams

Susan Morrow

Michael Shannon

Michael Shannon

Bobby Andes

Aaron Taylor-Johnson

Aaron Taylor-Johnson

Ray Marcus

Ellie Bamber

Ellie Bamber

India Hastings

Reviews

Reno

Reno

2/26/2017

6/10

**RE VEN GE** This was simply awesome. I meant the story, but the presentation was not my kind. I got the story and I enjoyed it. The performances can't be neglected either. Both the lead, Jake and Amy were the film's highlight. But I also happy for Michale Shannon's Oscars nominee. Based on the novel 'Tony and Susan', but for the film adaptation, the title got inspired by the book that appear in the story. From the director of 'A Single Man' which is his comeback film after a long gap. I would say a good attempt. This is the story of a successful art gallery boss who got divorced and remarried to the man whom she was cheating with from her ex. Her decision was in particular influenced by her mother. Now she thinks she's happy, but one day her ex sends a copy of his latest novel that's dedicated in her name. Reading it, she realises the tough time he'd with their separation. Following the end of the book, she encounters an unexpected truth which could affect her life forever. A dual layer story. One was fiction and the other one in the real world. But the fictional tale highly influences the main narration and that's what I call the genuine writing. So the credit must go to none other than the original author. I have seen lots of revenge films, even it can be compared to 'Three Colours: White', but the major difference is the sweet revenge. For that alone the film was awesome. The climax was even better. If you understand the narration, you will enjoy it for sure. The filmmaking should have been a bit better. Excluding that the film is not to be skipped. _6/10_

Gimly

Gimly

4/4/2017

8/10

Only in a world where a Reality TV star becomes President could Tom Ford be one of the best directors of the year... I guess that'd be this world. _Final rating:★★★★ - An all round good movie with a little something extra._

Filipe Manuel Neto

Filipe Manuel Neto

12/17/2022

6/10

**A dense film, with few sympathetic characters, but quite reasonable.** This is one of those films where the most interesting thing is the plot within the plot: the script begins by introducing us to Susan Morrow, a very sophisticated and elegant art gallery owner who suffers from insomnia and who receives, by mail, a sketch of a fictional novel which will be edited by her ex-husband. When she starts to read it, the film shows us the story he wrote: a very conventional family that is ambushed on an isolated road and kidnapped by criminals, leading the main character, a peaceful and friendly man, to go through a real nightmare. And at the same time, we see Susan remember several moments in her relationship, where things didn't always go well. The film is not bad, but it requires some attention from the public to follow the three ongoing stories, and by far, the most interesting and most striking is the one that the protagonist reads in the powerful novel written by her ex-husband. Personally, I didn't feel any kind of sympathy for the protagonist, I found the character quite bland and uninteresting, and the narrative of her marriage and divorce shows many shadows of the character that can make it even more difficult to empathize with her. Amy Adams brought the main character to life and seems to me to have done a very dignified and intelligent job, even though this is one of those characters that we never seem to really get to know because she never makes herself known. Jake Gyllenhaal turns out to be much more interesting, not least because he gave life to two different characters: he was the ex-husband of Susan, Adams' character, and also the protagonist of the novel she reads, and who is a nice character, but who finds himself in a dire situation despite all reasonable attempts to avoid it. Now, if we consider that that romance is intrinsically linked to the failed marriage of the two characters, it would have been perfectly possible to give Adams the character that ended up in the hand of Isla Fisher, a good actress with very little to do here. Michael Shannon and Aaron Taylor-Johnson gave good performances in characters with a lot of impact. Technically, the film makes good use of cinematography to convey the emotions that the characters are feeling: from Susan's depressing loneliness to the threat, danger and tension that surrounds the characters in the novel. Dark colors, very well-designed environments and a clever use of light and shooting angles all contribute to accentuate these sensations. In addition, the film has good sets and costumes, and a discreet but effective soundtrack.

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