Nocturnal Animals Movie Review

Nocturnal Animals is based on the book of the same name, and is about a woman who receives a book written by her ex-boyfriend that she interprets as a symbolic revenge tale.

This movie has a very non-linear narrative. It constantly goes from her imagining the story, to her in present day, then back to her and her boyfriend in the past. I really applaud this movie for its stylish editing and its unique story telling- I think it does these things very well. I do think the problem here is that it will alienate some viewers as it does get rather confusing and hard to follow at points. If you're not concentrating 100% on this movie, then you will not be able to follow it.

The movie is directed by the well-known fashion designer Tom Ford. This is his second film, and he's done a really good job directing it. It has a unique visual flare to it. I think he's done a great job and continues to be one of the best modern film makers.

The acting is the best part of the movie, by far. Everyone is giving the best they can. Amy Adams gives a great performance, as usual and shows that she deserves to win an Oscar (side note: she's lost more Oscar nominations than Leonardo DiCaprio). Jake Gyllenhaal is one of the greatest actors working today, and this film is no exception: he's amazing in this movie, truly mesmerizing. Michael Shannon is amazing in this movie also, he plays a cop and he's very believable.

By far the stand out is Aaron Taylor-Johnson who is a very creepy and repulsive villain. He's fantastic.

This film is very infectious. I found myself think about this film for weeks after watching it, it's a very layered film. If you're an audience member who likes to be challenged when watching a film, then you'll love this movie. It reminds me of 2001: A Space Odyssey in that it's incredibly deep. If you just want to turn your mind off and have a good time, you won't like this movie.

My only problem is that sometimes the themes of this movie are very heavy handed, and not crafted as well as they could have been.

A lot of people will dismiss this movie as pretentious, but I think that its bravery and intelligence need to be commended.

My rating: ⭐⭐⭐⭐.5

By Roan Spour