• Release year: 2024
• Director: Marielle Heller.
• Producers: Amy Adams, Anne Carey, Marielle Heller, Sue Naegle, Stacy O’Neil and Christina Oh.
• Screenplay by: Marielle Heller and Rachel Yoder.
• Cinematography by: Brandon Trost.
• Music by: Nate Heller.

Shotgun Commentary: a direct and honest essay on female rage and toxic gender roles.

Review

Nightbitch is a film about a woman trying to remember who she is amidst a fog of nappies, chores and incompetence. The feature was advertised as a nightmare for men and a respite for women, but nothing could be further from reality. It is, much like Barbie (2023) was last year, an opportunity to learn from harmful patriarchal dynamics and, in particular for women who have had children, an opportunity to feel seen.

Mother-babysitter dynamics

The film follows Mother (Amy Adams). She is an artist who decides to pause her professional career in order to take care of her son, Son (Arleigh Patrick Snowden and Emmet James Snowden). However, she soon realises that, not only is she going to raise her kid all by herself, but she is also going to take care of everything in the house. Including her husband who, all of a sudden, has become a kid of his own.

Husband (Scoot McNairy) is arguably the most controversial character of the film. His personality is so faithful to reality that it is bound to make a lot of people uncomfortable, mostly men. The magic of this character resides in its accuracy as a real-life portrait of millions of men. He isn’t fundamentally bad or good. His worst sin is neglect, which doesn’t really help create a definitive opinion about him. And why should you have one, anyway?

The feature refuses to choose black or white. This provides the perfect opportunity for the audience to make their own judgements based on their own beliefs, as well as having those challenged by what they are seeing. Most importantly, it provides the opportunity for long-overdue conversations to take place.

The ignored truth

Much like everything else around the bringing up of children, one does not get a manual of best practices once the kid is born. This means that the way your life will look from then on depends solely on you and your partner, if you have one.

Now, while neglect isn’t as extreme as violence, it can be just as harmful. Especially considering the ease with which one can conceal it. Nightbitch showcases the perfect example with Mother and Husband. Husband isn’t mean or aggressive, but he is incredibly harmful. His complete disinterest in helping with his son’s needs and lack of knowledge about how anything works in the house are just as toxic as any other form of abuse.

In fact, you can see how those seemingly harmless behaviours affect and tire Mother more and more until she rightfully snaps. Having a stay-at-home partner isn’t the same as having a servant. Even if they do the WORK around the house, you should know how to take care of your kids. Being a stay-at-home partner is a 24/7 job. It is a burden that should be shared as fairly as possible between the two people who form a relationship. Having a 9 to 5 work doesn’t give you the right to neglect everything else in your life.

Nature vs patriarchy

Despite the previous statement that this film is not a nightmare but a learning opportunity, there are some body horror elements in the narrative that should be acknowledged. The woman to dog connection is an unoriginal, albeit interesting and accurate metaphor for connecting with your primal instincts and breaking away from patriarchal societal norms.

In that sense, it feels a lot like watching a simplified version of the book Women Who Run With the Wolves, by Clarissa Pinkola Estés. Throughout this work, the author tells a series of stories that encourage you to challenge your reality, behaviour and even principles. Similarly, Nightbitch utilises body horror as a way to connect the protagonist with her primal instincts and personality outside of society. This technique also showcases the pain and the anguish of feeling caged inside yourself. In that regard, props to the film for not going with the bird-in-a-cage metaphor.

All in all, Nightbitch is simple enough to be easily understood by anyone interested in doing so, and detailed enough to provide infinite analysis. The ending might be a bit controversial, but that only adds to a conversation that really needs to happen in every household around the world. The film might not change your life, but it will certainly challenge preconceptions that need challenging.

Thanks to Walt Disney Studios for big screen access! Nightbitch will be released the 6th of December in the US and UK.

Advice to take from this movie:

• “Mother” is not an identity. A woman is not defined by her position within a household.
• It is possible to share responsibilities, you just have to put in the effort.
• It’s not your wife’s job to take care of you AND the kids. You are an adult and a father, and your wife is not a maid.
• Mother said it best: “It’s not babysitting if it’s your own kid”.

What’s your take? Have you watched Nightbitch? Don’t hesitate to let me know your thoughts in the comments section below, or leave a message in my contact page! For more reviews and cinema-related articles, check out the rest of my blog! 😀