Mind-blowing movies #1 Nocturnal Animals

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During the lockdown and postlockdown period I’ve watched maybe five movies in total and after a long time I feel the need to put my thoughts in order to get a whole understanding of how actually I got of the movie .
“Nocturnal Animals” is a breath-taking thriller movie which relies on two storylines : the main one and the “novel” received by the protagonist from her ex-husband who dedicates it to “her” calling Nocturnal Animal .
Personally I found this device brilliant : actually at first I thought that the whole car trip was Susan’s flashback and Tony was her dad…. god I was so wrong , this is why after finishing it I drowned myself in articles of possible explanations of the ending .
Where shall I start ? Like with “Parasite” this movie left me with a feeling of bewilderment and daze , I asked myself :” What the heck did I just watch (in a positive way of course) , what was Tom Ford purpose ?

First I cannot help but praise the acting of the main cast : this movie had been on my “watchlist” for a long time … *ehm ehm* I have to admit mainly for Jake Gyllenhaal (who I love since Donnie Darko) but also for Amy Adams … Anyway Aaron Johnson and Michael Shannon delivered such a great performance with their respective characters.

Nocturnal Animals has a mesmerizing storytelling which relies on multiple strengths : on one side the viewer is initially introduced in the present time where Susan lives her material existence surrounded by meaningless art and a less significant relationship with his husband or daughter.
The story itself is set off by a novel received from her estranged ex-husband in which she drowns herself eagerly : the reading awakens her past relationship with Edward from the blossom of their romance to their abrupt separation .
On the other side Edward’s novel has also a relevant role if not maybe the most crucial one in the story : the harshness ,the violence and the hatred which characterized it are nothing but the manifestation of Tony’s feelings for being humiliated and deprived of its daughter/son .
Revenge is the key word : through flashbacks the general feeling of disillusionment unravels while Susan slowly becomes aware of what has lost , finally Edward’s revenge takes a concrete form .
I was strongly fascinated by how the revenge theme was developed : in the novel Edward manages to find a solid partner who helps him seeking the murderers even going against the law . But the subtle revenge that Edward causes to Susan …. that was poetic cinema !! The final scene where she waits in a luxurious restaurant hoping to repair their relationship hit me hard : as time passes and the glass gets empty she realizes that Tony is not “weak” anymore and has finally moved forward . Her expression of placid disillusionment puts an end to a great visual and emotional masterpiece, Amy Adams ‘s bitter smile turns into a wide awareness of what has lost and her mask of “fake merriness” breaks a little as her eyes wink for a second .
The more I keep writing this sort-of review (which it isn’t because I’m not good at it ) the more I have more topics to discuss about !

I recently embarked on a MsC in Economic and International Management focusing on Luxury Goods,Made in Italy and Emerging Markets and one of the compulsory courses is called “Luxury and fashion management” : I ‘ve been introduced to many interesting themes which make me constantly reflect one of these are “hedonism” and “aesthetics” .
Returning to the movie the cinematography and the visual were absolutely mesmerizing : Tom Ford’s use of close ups to show the character’s gaze and the long shots of the scenery weren’t just aesthetically driven but they had a symbolic function.
Despite having the privilege to work in a art gallery Susan seems to not see the privilege she has , to not see the beauty within . In the sequence set in the art gallery Tom Ford actually provides a major spoiler (which I didn’t notice ahah) showing a big installation with a writing saying “REVENGE” … I mean … I was blind wtf!
Susan passes by observing the piece of art but without showing any considerable reaction … personally I found Amy Adams expressiveness
stunning : if we focus for a moment on her gaze in the flashback scenes her eyes are glowing , her look is passionate and cheerful while in the present scenes her look is kind of disconnected and absent as if her eyes are lacking of vitality , to me in the final sequence she finally realizes that she has been living in a fake bubble and finally take off her mask made of shallowness and appearances .
The final two topics I would like to discuss are related to the captivating soundtrack and why I truly enjoyed this little masterpiece : the score of the motion picture was just breathless , for some reason It reminded me of “Melancholia’s” soundtrack with Wagners leit motive occuring every once in a while :Abel Korneziowski translated into music the pain , the struggle ,the anxiety characterizing the movie, If I close my eyes I can clearly see the endless road trip narrated in Tony’s novel !
If there’s anyone who actually managed to get to the end of this post you made it !
Last remark : I haven’t felt that anxious for a while , few movies made me feel uncomfortable like “Psycho” or the more recent “Midsommar” but while I was watching the road trip … Lord I had a feeling of what was about to happen and I thought even if there’s a brilliant cast I will never watch “Nocturnal Animals” agains . Now I would watch it over and over again even if means going through that “long scene” .
I was disappointed of the humble box-office results …. this movie depicts the aftermath of a relationship with an original device delivering great acting performance with stunning photography , soundtrack and the perfect amount of suspence .

Thanks for the time (now I go back studying Economics :’). )

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