‘Nightbitch’ Film Review + Mini Interview with Marielle Heller

Nightbitch is a dark comedy that centers on motherhood. In fact, watching the movie reminded me of the quote, “The days are long, but the years are short.”

The film is based on the award-winning book Nightbitch written by Rachel Yoder. Writer-director Marielle Heller (A Beautiful Day in the Neighborhood, Can You Ever Forgive Me?) adapted the book to the big screen.

A woman (Amy Adams) pauses her career to be a stay-at-home mom, but soon her new domesticity takes a surreal turn.

Amy Adams (Arrival) stars alongside Scoot McNairy (Argo), and Arleigh Snowden and Emmett Snowden in their motion picture debut.

As a mom, I can identify with Amy Adams’ character. Although my daughter is now 18, I do remember what it was like when she was two years old and the routine of breakfast-books-bathtime was an endless loop.

The film veers into surrealism and satire, which I found interesting and compelling. Amy really ‘goes there’ in her performance and at times you see her on her back acting like a dog or running around sniffing the lawn. I applaud her commitment to the character.

Earlier this year, I had the opportunity to interview Marielle Heller, the writer and director of Nightbitch.

What was it like directing Amy Adams in those scenes?

Marielle: We talked a lot early on about what it is to sort of give in to that ‘natural play’ that comes about, and how in a lot of ways when the character gives in to being more ‘dog-like,’ she actually becomes a happier mother. It unleashes something for her, where [as before] she was operating in [a mentality] of ‘I should do this, I should do that’ and when she lets all that go, she actually enjoys motherhood and becomes a better mother in a lot of ways.

Was she at all hesitant to do certain things?

Marielle: Amy wasn’t hesitant. She was able to understand the concept and she just ‘went for it.’ I was blown away by Amy’s physicality. Even in small ways, [she was able to] work with dog-like qualities in her eyes or in her teeth. It was something we talked about a lot in the process.

I found the film very thought-provoking and I’m sure a lot of people out there will relate to the humor and struggles of parenting.

Nightbitch opens in theaters on Friday, December 6, 2024.
Nightbitch is rated R.
The runtime is approximately 1 hour and 38 minutes.
Visit the official movie website here for more information.

Disclosure: No monetary compensation was received for this post. I attended an advanced screening of the movie and a virtual media event which helped facilitate this article. Images are used with permission and all opinions are 100% my own.