NIGHTBITCH: A Whimsical Yet Underwhelming Exploration of Motherhood

An exhausted stay-at-home mom believes she may be turning into a dog. Based on a novel of the same name and starring Amy Adams, Nightbitch is a quirky exploration of the pitfalls of motherhood. But its whimsical elements and supposed body-horror conquests fall short, making this black comedy a rather bland watch.

After welcoming her first child, a woman (Adams) puts her art career on hold to care for her son. Her days are mundane, constantly cycling through cooking, cleaning, and playing, never having a moment for herself. When she does leave the house, her interactions with others revolve around her child and his activities.

To make matters worse, she’s often left alone as her husband (Scoot McNairy) travels regularly for work. That mounting isolation and constant caregiver mindset has stripped her of her own identity and self-fulfillment. As she sinks further into this unhappy state, she begins to notice her body is changing and suspects she’s transforming into a dog.

Nightbitch does capture the monotony of being a housewife well, further showcasing it with editing that shows the repetitious state of her life. You don’t need to relate to empathize with her situation, though primary caregivers will certainly connect most with the story. I appreciated how the film showcases how she’s been siloed to just being a mom without having the avenue to explore the creativity she once had.

There have been some interesting films lately that explore these complexities of womanhood especially when it comes to maternal burdens, like last year’s Baby Ruby.

Writer and director Marielle Heller captures these feminist tones well and I think Adams was the perfect casting to deliver the nuanced acting it needed. Her performance kept me most engaged with the story, even as I began feeling disinterested in the film.

The film suffers from an extremely drawn-out narrative that never quite realizes its potential. And it’s 98-minute runtime begins to feel like a chore. But most disappointing, was the exaggeration that this film is a body horror film.

There are Disney Channel original films that fit into that subgenre more than this film does. There are a couple of moments that showcase her bodily evolution, but it never goes fully transformative for the character; which is a real lost opportunity to expose the horrors on a more visceral level.

While I am unfamiliar with the source material, I have often seen it described as a psychological thriller. It feels like this film is so far from that genre, but I can see how it would have worked so well had it committed to being that tension-driven and almost mind-bending experience for the audience.

While Nightbitch offers an interesting premise with a strong performance from Adams, it ultimately falls short. Though it captures the challenges of motherhood with authenticity, it lacks the ferocity or feminine rage needed to amplify the fantastical elements; while completely void of the “body horror” it claims to contain. Ultimately, what could have been a The Substance-level exploration of the subject matter becomes a quirky yet forgettable venture that fails to make a lasting impression.

Nightbitch is now in theaters