Nightbitch, written and directed by Marielle Heller, stars Amy Adams as Mother (just Mother, no other name). She’s a stay-at-home mom with a toddler and she’s not doing well.
Nightbitch has a surreal quality used to make some strong points about what happens to a woman when she’s home alone with a baby for months on end and gets very little help. The film is sort of magical realism, sort of supernatural, sort of about shape shifting, and very much about female rage.
Mother cooks the same baby’s choice food every day. She travels to the grocery store where we first realize that what seems to be an expression of her anger and frustration is merely thoughts in her head, not actions in reality. She’s completely lost her former self, an artist, to motherhood. It’s thrills and chills. She’s thrilled by her child and loves watching him grow. She’s chilled by the responsibility of always being there with no respite.
Husband (Scoot McNairy) travels for work. When he’s home on the weekend he is no help or relief to Mother. He really doesn’t get what Mother has to go through everyday to keep their family afloat. She’s in a rage at him, too, but only in her head. Son (Arleigh and Emmett Snowden) is a sweet little guy who loves the noisy garbage truck and the swings and making a mess. The twin boys who play him are really good.
Mother meets a few other moms at the library: Zoë Chao, Mary Holland, and Archana Rajan play these moms. She learns they have their own issues as moms and they all spend some time together at the library and playground. It helps a tiny bit.
But that isn’t the thing. Here’s the thing. Mother begins to turn into a dog. Furry coat, digging in the dirt, squirrel killing dog. She looks at herself before a shower and has 6 extra nipples, whiskers, a tail.
She returns to the library for metaphysical tomes about people turning into animals. Norma the librarian (Jessica Harper) turns her on to the perfect book. Later Norma denies that the book even belongs to the library. I thought Jessica Harper stole the show and loved her mysterious goddess-like character.
Mother kicks husband out. He spends his weekends in his sad little apartment with Son all by himself. Mother spends her weekends producing large oil paintings.

So now Husband sees what it’s really like to care for the baby alone. Mom has a few moments to be herself. It’s a healing process. Maybe mom isn’t really a wild animal running in the woods. Maybe it can all work out. All the folks needed was empathy, understanding, and communication. So doggone easy to say and so freaking hard to do.
I should watch my tone, I’m getting a little snarky here. That’s because I had mixed feelings for Nightbitch. The film was slow and preachy. At the same time it was so realistic and powerful at demonstrating female rage. The “turning into a bitch” metaphor was heavy handed and overly wrought. It was also the exact emotions moms feel. It was both at once.
Amy Adams is excellent, as always. She’s convincing as both the “I love being a mom” person and as the “I’m going to rip your throat out if you ask me for one more thing” wife.
I’m not going to recommend this one 100%. I think your feelings about it will depend on whether you recognize Mother’s inner world. It was well directed and well acted, but I can’t predict how it will feel to you. You can see it on Hulu. If you watch it, let me know what you thought. The comments are open.
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