‘Nightbitch’ review: Dir. Marielle Heller [LFF 2024]

Based on Rachel Yoder’s book of the same name, Nightbitch offers a peek behind the curtain of modern motherhood. Directed by Marielle Heller, Nightbitch stars Amy Adams as a nameless stay at home mother. An artist in the time before having her son, she is struggling with the monotony of life at home with a toddler. As her mental health begins to spiral, her body starts to manifest strange symptoms that lead her to believe that she is turning into a dog…

Although featuring plenty of surreal imagery, Nightbitch presents a scarily poignant analysis of what it means to be a mother in today’s society. Whilst the inner monologue of Mother, which houses all the things that she longs to say and do, will seem outlandish and amusing to those without children, the parents in the audience will be squirming in their seats. Nightbitch has one of the most authentic portrayals of parenthood ever. Montage after montage demonstrates Mother’s daily routine, the repetition draining the life out of her. Nightbitch also portrays domestic family life in a more truthful way and is careful to keep this side of itself more realistic to counteract the surreal elements of the story. 

What makes Nightbitch so refreshing is that unlike some similar themed films, neither Mother nor Son or Husband are blamed for their actions. No one is painted as the villain, and at no point is the film anti-children. Instead, Nightbitch highlights just how drastic a change having a child is. Thanks to media and societal pressures, there is a misconception that raising a child is – or should be – easy and beautiful. The reality is often muddier than this, but societal expectations mean that people, mothers especially, don’t feel as though they can discuss it. 

As Mother, Adams perfectly personifies the vision of a woman who loves her son, but is also crippled by the upheaval of her life and the expectations to now only communicate with other mothers. This is a horribly true reflection of life; Nightbitch will speak to all those mothers watching who don’t conform to the cookie cutter stereotype. Amy Adams had missed out on an Academy Award more times than most have had hot dinners, and her portrayal of Mother certainly warrants another nomination. 

Scoot McNairy is equally compelling as Husband. Many other texts would paint his character as a callus and uncaring idiot, but this is not the case here. His character is struggling with his own unspoken issues, the lack of honest communication causing a chasm of distance between the married couple. He is not entirely without fault, but as with everything else within Nightbitch, this helps make the film more realistic. 

That none of the core family are granted names, and are even referred to in the credits as simply Mother, Son and Husband, is another key move. In stripping these characters of their identity they are distilled into their most baseline of existences. Heller also uses this to highlight how society’s opinions change about people once they become parents. Schools across the country refer to parents as simply the mother or father of the child, removing any sense of personality from the individual, which is replicated perfectly in Nightbicth. The other important outcome of having nameless protagonists is that the anonymity allows the viewers to more easily project their own experiences onto them.  

The marketing has heavily pushed the surreal elements of Nightbitch, and whilst they add a fun body horror seasoning, the true horror resides in the realism projected on screen. Mother’s changes, although absurd, work as a metaphor for the ever changing state of women’s bodies. Although not usual, the fact that no one believes her, is sadly believable. How much credence there is to Mother’s ordeal is kept deliberately opaque. Even though her body becomes altered by strange tufts of hair and newly placed nipples, this is never directly witnessed by another adult. In keeping the validity vague, it allows the audience to read into the situation however they choose.  

Nightbitch is a film that can be read and interpreted several ways, and whilst it will be viewed as heavily amusing to some, Nightbitch also possesses the ability to be horribly confronting. An eerily accurate portrayal of those early years of parenting, Nightbitch is a battle cry to mothers across the world who don’t conform to what society expects of them.

Nightbitch was reviewed at London Film Festival 2024. Nightbitch arrives in UK cinemas on 6th December.