Nocturnal Animals

     Nocturnal Animals is directed by Tom Ford and stars Amy Addams (Arrival), Jake Gyllenhaal (Nightcrawler), Michael Shannon (Man of Steel), and Aaron-Taylor Johnson (Kick-Ass). It tells the story of an art exhibitor who receives a book transcript from her ex-husband. As the movie plays out, we see the events of the movie interplayed with the story of the book.

     My personal favorite part of the movie was the story within the story. This was such an interesting concept that I thought Ford masterfully worked between the two storylines. As the story of Adams reading the story unfolded in real time, we could see how she envisioned the story in her mind. In a lesser filmmaker’s hands, the story could have felt clunky but Ford has proved himself to be among one of the best up and coming directors today.

     Another great part of the movie was the cinematography. With the story within the story taking place in West Texas, it could have easily looked drab and uninteresting. But the cinematographer, Seamus McGarvey (The Avengers), helped to bring life to the desert with sweeping shots that could easily be framed. And the stark difference between the story world and the actual world helps to highlight the difference between the two worlds. The prim and proper black and whites are contrasted by bright sunsets to help compliment the messages that the two worlds are portraying.

     If I had to find one complaint, it would be that the story with Adams character. It moved much slower than the story within the story and I found the characters less compelling. But that’s not to say it detracted from the movie. I feel like in a movie of this nature, you will find one story to hang onto over another.

     Finally, the acting in this movie was incredible. Aaron-Taylor Johnson was the best performance in my eyes, playing a murderous psychopath extremely convincing while also being charming at the same time. Michael Shannon was also great in his role and I feel like he is the most underappreciated actor working today, putting out great performance after great performance with very people giving him the proper recognition (if they decide to bring back Jaws in the James Bond franchise, he should definitely be in the role). While the supporting actors stole the show, Jake Gyllenhaal and Amy Adams delivered some great performances as well, with Gyllenhaal giving his character some real emotional depth.

Although it may not be for everyone, Nocturnal Animals is one of the best movies that has come out this year.

When should you see it?

Opening Night