BurtonReviews Nocturnal Animals: What Goes Bump in the Night

(Image sourced from https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Nocturnal_Animals_(film))

 

Have you heard of this movie? Because I sure hadn’t. In-fact the only reason I even saw this film was because my friend offered me a free cinema ticket to it. Neither of us had heard or seen even a single frame of it. All we knew was the star studded cast involved with it; like Amy Adams (the current Lois Lane of the DC Cinematic universe), and Jake Gyllenhaal (known for his sinister turn as the lead in 2014’s Nightcrawler). Terrified the film would be another pretentious indie flick, we sat in the cinema with halted breath as the first 10 minutes of the film all but confirmed our deepest fears. But then, as if turning a page of a book, another layer of the film is revealed, and we halted our breath for a totally different reason, as we found ourselves aboard an unrelenting emotional rollercoaster that didn’t loosen its grip on us for a second.

Honestly I would go into the movie completely blind to what the plot is, but if you really want to know: Nocturnal Animals follows a deeply depressed artist as she realises nothing in her life gives her real satisfaction. Then, out of the blue, her ex-husband, Edward Sheffield (Jake Gyllenhaal), sends her a proof of his first novel: a tale of a family trip gone horribly wrong when the family encounters a rowdy group of Texan Hillbillies. She’s instantly hooked on the story and we experience the tragic tale through the movie as she visualises the events of the book unfold with a star studded cast as the books gritty characters.

And when I say star studded I mean it, these actors not only deserve the title, but bring their absolute A game for this unconventional movie. Jake Gyllenhaal as Tony Hastings knocks it out of the park, leaving a hole in the Earth’s stratosphere. Not only did he instantly charm the pants off me in a Clark Kent-esque scene, ironically for who he was in the process of charming on screen; but when it came time for the real emotional gut punches, Gyllenhaal brought me to the edge of tears as I wholly and instantly identified and invested with his character.

(Image sourced from http://time.com/4477464/tom-ford-nocturnal-animals-review/)

Another actor who more than proved his acting acclaim in this movie was Michael Shannon (Zod in 2013s Man of Steel, hmm a lot of DC veterans in this movie on second thoughts). His gruff but dedicated detective, Bobby Andes, was a loveable character, even with his prickly exterior, thanks to the depth and soul Shannon brought to the role. What could’ve been a stereotypical, ‘3 days from retirement’ cop role, Shannon brought real emotion to the character and brought hope to such a tragic situation as a realistic class of hero.

Aaron Taylor-Johnson also gave a viciously good performance as the piece of human waste and all around d*ck bag Ray Marcus. Taylor-Johnson dissolved into the role, becoming unrecognisable and truly disgusting, pleasingly making it very easy for me to root for his teeth to be mercilessly kicked in.

(Image sourced from http://collider.com/nocturnal-animals-featurette-amy-adams-jake-gyllenhaal/)

With the film switching between multiple story threads, both fictitious and non, not all story threads can be as strong as the emotionally gut punching last. However with such as strong storyline happening in the fictional world of Edward Sheffield’s book, it painfully highlights even further how lacking and poor the main story line from the films real world is. While the acting in this plot from Amy Adams was as high calibre as the rest of the film, the actual characters were pompously unlikeable and the reality they had created for themselves was boring and utterly disinteresting. Especially when I’m clambering to see what happens next in the books world.

Because holy bam is the fictional story in the film exceptionally compelling. From pacing to character development, to the pure emotional impact that it haunts you with. I cried, I gritted my teeth in anger, and I clenched my fists in rage. This film engulfs you its powerfully emotional story through exceptional performances and relatable characters leaving you with an experience that you will think about for days to come.

Nocturnal Animals = 8.5/10

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Thanks for reading and I hope you enjoyed.