I am not a mother, I haven’t given birth, or experienced postpartum depression. Yet, Marie Heller’s Nightbitch (2024) gives us an insight into motherhood alongside the rage and uniquely zoomorphic effects through Mother (Amy Adams); this film fills me with anger and sympathy for all mothers, including my own, for the haphazard experience of parenthood.
Based on Rachel Yoder’s 2021 novel, we follow Mother as she navigates the odd, morbid effects of motherhood: growing fur, a tail, extra nipples, and other dog-like tendencies. Adam’s performance is the strongest element of this film, her anger and emotionality feel raw and vulnerable, even if the script is constantly slapping you in the face with the themes and messages of the film: how horrible motherhood and marriage can be and how important female friendship is, canine or not. The film has blatant pacing issues, taking its time getting into the Mother’s transformations, yet never developing it; it feels like Heller is playing the film safe, letting the magic realism of the protagonist remain on the back burner as she focuses on other themes. Scoot McNairy (no I’m not kidding) proves he can again play an infuriating and self-absorbed husband and father, playing Ben in last year’s Speak No Evil (2024); yet my desire for Mother to turn into a dog and rip his throat out was left unfulfilled, although beggars can’t be choosers.
The lack of subtext, preventing a more nuanced take, and the lack of focus on the supernatural elements bring Nightbitch down, especially with films like The Substance (2024) proving that gross films with female themes can be enjoyable and complex. However, the film is consequential, reminding me and many other women that motherhood looks like hell incarnate, the ability to be a Nightbitch or not.
Illustration by Melena Orleans