While his first film, A Single Man, featured a narrative built entirely around the interior thoughts of his lead character, Nocturnal Animals instead utilises two different narratives to explore some very unsettling ideas and themes.

Taking the lead is Amy Adams as Susan Marrow, a wealthy art dealer who is beginning to see the cracks in her perfectly decadent world. While it is hard to go into to much detail about Susan’s role in the film without going into spoiler territory, Adams’ performance is certainly engrossing. Much of her performance revolves around the unsettling choices that her character has made in her life, and Adams does everything in her power to make you dislike Susan.

While the leading lady brings a haunting quality to her performance, it is Jake Gyllenhaal in the dual role of Edward Sheffield and his literary character Tony Hastings, who really steals the film. Audience members may be used to seeing Gyllenhaal portray empowering, strong-willed characters, but here he goes in the opposite direction. The characters of Edward and Tony are both weak-willed, world-weary men who cannot deal with the pressures or hardships of the worlds they inhabit. Nocturnal Animals was certainly a risky choice for Gyllenhaal, but it is one that has tremendously paid off.

Terrific support is also provided by Michael Shannon as tough-as-nails detective Bobby Andes, and Aaron Taylor-Johnson as skeevy criminal Ray Marcus. Shannon has always been one to intimidate his audience, but he takes it to another level as Andes. This gruff Texas lawman has no time for procedure in his pursuit of justice, and his methodology could almost be considered criminal. As Andes he’s willing to cross any line to find justice for Tony, and this takes the pair of them into some very dark places. Taylor-Johnson, on the other hand, is an utter loose canon as the violently unpredictable Marcus. He throws away any kind of class as this white trash thug, and his interactions and tormenting of Gyllenhaal’s Tony is a terrifying experience.

While Nocturnal Animals is a genuinely unsettling film to watch, Ford’s fearlessness to present his subject matter in all its unpleasantness is a testament to his talents as a director. As a filmmaker he effortlessly captures and juxtaposes the isolation and coldness of Susan’s L.A. lifestyle with that of the rough edges of the haunting West Texas landscape that is presented in Edward’s manuscript. Both worlds are captured with flawless cinematography by Seamus McGarvey (Atonement, Fifty Shades of Grey), and composer Abel Korzeniowski’s melodic yet frightening score certainly keeps you on edge.

Image source: Paramount Pictures

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Here’s the synopsis:

Art gallery owner Susan Marrow (Adams) finds herself haunted by her ex-husband’s (Gyllenhaal) novel, a violent and obsessive thriller that she interprets as a veiled threat on her own life. As Susan reads into the story further she finds her own life caught up in the story of the novel’s protagonist Tony Hastings (Gyllenhaal), and it’s then that her very sanity begins to unravel. 

The new trailer focuses more on the relationship between Adams’ Susan Morrow and the love that developed between her and her future husband Edward Sheffield (Gyllenhaal). But their love was not to last, and in its wake Edward left Susan with his violent manuscript, Nocturnal Animal, which she believes is a symbolic threat upon her life.

Advance praise has been levelled on Amy Adams for her performance as the film’s central character, and there’s even a bit of buzz that she could see an Academy Award nomination for her performance.

Nocturnal Animals will be released on November 17 in New Zealand and Australia and on November 18 in the US and UK.

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Art gallery owner Susan Marrow (Adams) finds herself haunted by her ex-husband’s (Gyllenhaal) novel, a violent and obsessive thriller that she interprets as a veiled threat on her own life. As Susan reads into the story further she finds her own life caught up in the story of the novel’s protagonist Tony Hastings (Gyllenhaal), and it’s then that her very sanity begins to unravel. 

Nocturnal Animals is not for the faint of heart with its dark themes of obsession, narcissism, and violence. Adams has never looked better as Susan, whose life of high-end luxury begins to unravel as she digs deeper into her ex-husband’s lost work. Juxtaposed with Adams is Gyllenhaal, who has taken on two roles as Edward Sheffield and Tony Hastings, which is sure to draw out the Oscar nominee’s darker side.

A collection of world-class talent rounds out the supporting cast, including Michael Shannon, Armie Hammer, Isla Fisher, and Aaron Taylor-Johnson.

Director Tom Ford appears to have created a film that will burn itself into the memory of audiences with a compelling story and stunning cinematography. Not only is Ford responsible for one of the most beautiful films ever shot with 2009’s A Single Man, but with Nocturnal Animals, he also appears to be examining our collective culture’s obsession with celebrity and fame, and the darker implications of this fault.

Nocturnal Animals has already won praise for Amy Adams’ gripping performance, while Ford took home the Special Jury Prize at the Venice Film Festival. Expect to see it in theatres on November 17 in New Zealand and Australia and on November 18 in the US and UK.

The post Tom Ford spins a dangerous tale in ‘Nocturnal Animals’ appeared first on SpicyPulp.