Nightbitch

Adams is already a six-time Oscar nominee: it’s very possible that for this, she could finally nab one outright. From out of its sitcom-neat package, Nightbitch unleashes something primeval and wild – thought it might seem cuddly, hot spit flecks its jaws.

Heller skillfully portrays the repeated routines of motherhood – breakfast, lunch, dinner, bath time, bedtime – as both meaningful and exhausting.

Marielle Heller’s version of the story — Yoder is listed as a co-writer — could have taken the magical realist element out entirely, and the film would have played exactly the same. The body horror is downplayed to the point of being functionally nonexistent.

Adams is a performer whose emotional transparency can make her characters seem unguarded and appealingly vulnerable, and the movie works as well as it does in great part because of her.

Being a mom is hard, a universal truism that "Nightbitch" explores in ways that are occasionally inspired but mostly blunt and banal.

While Nightbitch certainly achieves relatability, it also presents a generic treatise on womanhood that reinforces more gendered conventions than it refutes.

Either “Nightbitch” shouldn’t have been made or its premise should have been transformed and built upon.

Motherhood – it’s one of those notions that, in the minds of many, is sacrosanct, inviolable and beyond reproach. Or is it? Indeed, isn’t it possible that some women who find themselves in this role aren’t cut out for it and innately regret having taken that step? “How dare they!” intolerant critics might exclaim. However, as this latest offering from writer-director Marielle Heller illustrates, there are those who feel motherhood is a calling they’re not cut out for and may, at best, feel highly ambivalent about. Such is the case of a former artist-turned-stay-at-home-mom (Amy Adams) who clearly loves her young son (Arleigh Patrick Snowden/Emmett James Snowden) but who also finds this role inherently limiting and creatively stifling, leaving her frustrated and unsure what to do. She also feels she doesn’t get the support and understanding that she needs from her husband (Scoot McNairy), prompting her to believe she’s trapped by her circumstances – like an animal. In fact, it’s a sensibility that gradually begins to manifest itself as more than just something out of her imagination, a surreal experience that reveals her “dog-ged” determination to find answers and solutions. Consequently, inexplicable changes in behavior arise that she desperately needs to understand, particularly if she wants to hold on to her sanity and remain a responsible and grounded parent. The protagonist thus launches into an odyssey of exploring the nature of motherhood, a multifaceted, occasionally contradictory exercise whose diverse realizations are often difficult to sort out – and one that’s simultaneously rife with an array of both frightening and inventively comedic possibilities. What’s most impressive about this film, though, is its uncompromising honesty in addressing its subject, an approach that yields a realistically revelatory view of the concept of motherhood, one that (as the protagonist so astutely observes) shows it as being about “more than just sunshine and baby powder.” While it’s true that the narrative sometimes tries to cover a little too much ground and doesn’t always link its assorted observations as effectively or cogently as it might have, it nevertheless uncovers the heartfelt beliefs that some women sincerely hold about being mothers, outlooks that the blinder-clad Pollyannas among us might consider inconceivable or even heretical despite their intrinsic truthfulness and viability. Credit the authenticity behind this the filmmaker and to Adams, who turns in yet another stellar portrayal, one that has already earned her an Independent Spirit Award nomination for best lead performance and could well lead to yet another Oscar nod. Kudos also go out to McNairy, as well as the two young brothers cast in the role of the son, all of whom provide superb support. To be sure, “****” may not appeal to everyone, and some could even find it shocking in some regards. But at least the picture doesn’t try to pull any punches, and there’s much to be said for that given the prevailing naïve and unassailable qualities often associated with the idea of what it’s actually like to be a mom.

**** might be the fourth or fifth film this year exploring the story of a woman left to navigate motherhood alone. Each approaches the theme from a different angle, and this one takes a fantastical route to deliver its powerful message.

A discussão sobre a maternidade frequentemente orbita entre duas perspectivas aparentemente opostas: o "instinto materno" e a construção social da maternidade. Amy Adams está um pouco over no papel, cujo roteiro alterna entre uma comédia crítica e um terror melancólico ao abordar essa mãe tendo que se virar com o filho (em choque com um pai bem folgado). A ideia do "instinto materno" sugere que cuidar e proteger os filhos seria algo intrínseco às mulheres, uma disposição biológica universal. Essa visão, porém, tem sido criticada por sociólogos e feministas por naturalizar comportamentos que variam historicamente e culturalmente. Pesquisas antropológicas mostram que as formas de cuidar dos filhos diferem amplamente entre as sociedades, evidenciando que a maternidade é, em grande parte, uma construção social. No século XX, autores como Simone de Beauvoir e Adrienne Rich destacaram que o conceito de "instinto materno" é frequentemente utilizado para reforçar papéis de gênero tradicionais, conferindo às mulheres a responsabilidade quase exclusiva pelo cuidado das crianças e, consequentemente, limitando suas possibilidades de atuação na sociedade e na esfera pública. Assim, a maternidade deixa de ser apenas uma experiência pessoal para se tornar uma instituição social que reflete e perpetua desigualdades de gênero. O filme, porém, embora cresça ao retratar o ambiente doméstico, é um pouco fraco ao sair daquele espaço. Tirando uma ou outra tomada na escola ou no restaurante (uma cena bem vergonha alheia), tudo é muito acima do tom. A analogia central do filme, com o retorno da mulher a uma condição animalesca, até fica interessante em determinado ponto, trazendo um ar alegórico muito bem vindo e dando frescor ao longa. No entanto, a diretora parece ter comprometimento em não apenas tornar tudo mais didático, mas em conciliar a visão "instintiva" com a visão social. O resultado é um enfraquecimento da narrativa e um entreguismo à família tradicional e suas perspectiva heteronormativas, o que é uma pena considerando o grande potencial da obra.

You’ll know within the first 10 minutes of the film if this is for you. I strongly recommend that if you have the smallest doubt, then turn off because it doesn’t get any better. It’s not a horror film, it’s a drama with a small amount of science fiction thrown in. Disney+ really needs to stop miscategorising films for views. It’s another one of those women have it hard stories that appeals to a very small audience of women who want a reason to blame others for why they’re unhappy. And boy have we had a lot of these over the past 5 years…. This isn’t coming from someone who’s anti-feminist, just someone who’s tiered of hearing about it and how men and society are always the problem. Yes post-birth depression is a real thing, but the message this film puts out isn’t positive towards dealing with that and simply blames society. They also do the husband dirty in this film. He’s missing from the entire opening of the film and is made out to be a non-understanding ahole who doesn’t care about her problems, when it honestly looks like she’s not really trying to help him understand. It’s just not a positive message of how to deal with post birth depression to put out there. Honestly it’s a bit unfair that this genre is constantly anti men. Where are all the films about men going through depression and how society is set against them?

"Did you ever feel like the big secret is we are Gods? We create Life!" After watching this? It's have to be a pretty big secret. Or if you're Gods? You're the one below.