Nocturnal Animals [DVD] [2016]

Noctural animals begins with a stunning scene or extremely obese naked women dancing individually on a stage. For me, that did nothing to improve the movie and, actually, was quite unnecessary. Even so, we realise we are in an art gallery. It is owned by Susan Morrow (Amy Adams), who seems to have peculiar taste. Later Susan receives the manuscript of a book from her ex husband, Edward (Jake Gyllenhaal) whom she has not seen for 20 years. Susan’s present husband (Arnie Hammer) has had to go away on business, he told her. Their marriage is strained. Alone she reads Edward’s book and the story has meaning to her and brings out in her a feeling of loss and regret. It reflects the loss and regret of Edward himself. It’s a violent story and she is captivated by it. I found it so hard to write about this movie because it gives you so much to think about and the story in the novel is entwined with the movie’s story and we are taken from scene to scene into the novel and out again. It works magically and if you watch the DVD or BluRay (I saw the BluRay) then don’t miss the extra with Tom Ford, writer/director, talking about the meaning of it all and what he wanted the movie to be. Ford points out some of the little details that the audience may have missed. I admit I missed quite a few but when Ford talked about it, I recalled them. Missing the details does not mean, however, that the movie’s storyline cannot be easily followed. While I am not easily shocked, I did find the scene showing early on in the novel extraordinarily tense and found myself holding my breath. That, for me, is the sign of a really good movie, when I am made to forget that it is a movie and can empathise with the emotions of the characters involved. The movie has the whole works. The cinematography, the characters, the casting, the performances, the dialogue, the lot. And the soundtrack, that haunting soundtrack, should not be forgotten. For me, this movie is a winner. Strangely, the movie was only nominated for one Oscar, a nomination for Michael Shannon (who played a police detective) for best supporting actor. His performance was excellent but he didn’t get it. It went to Mahershala Ali for Moonlighting.Finally, while the movie covers some violent acts, including rape (all in the characters novel), none of the scenes are particularly graphic and the rape scene is suggested rather than explicit. Mostly it was psychologically disturbing which is what thrillers often are.

A great film despite the usual reaction from the cry babies. However the opening credits are the most disgusting thing I've ever seen in my life.

Terrific film

I liked this film, and I understood what was going on, but then I had previously read the book. Had I been watching on my own, I would have given it 4 stars. However, my husband also watched , and he has not read the book; he found it a bit artsy and hard to follow. i get that, as , being restricted on time, there were some key areas where the movie fell short of the book: in the book, Jake Gyllenhaals dual characters , had time to develop , and time to build to the denouement, The novel built this beautifully. The movie cut some corners. That said the cast did an excellent job , Jake Gyllenhaal & Amy Adams were, as ever, excellent, and the supporting cast impressed. This is a dark movie, built in the real world,; it could happen to any one of us. I liked it; if that's your thing, you might too.

‘Nocturnal Animals’ constantly probes the mind and challenges our sensibilities from the very first frame right through to its devastating conclusion, leaving us with a lingering sense of loss. It jabs at the most vulnerable of our consumerist attitudes, not too fiercely, but hurt it does, and as it should. What is ingenious though is that it seamlessly fuses two realities into a single and coherent narrative, one real and the other fictional, the latter intriguingly being a metaphorical interpretation of the former. In the first, Susan lives a luxurious life, having achieved her dreams, but finds herself restless and empty, calling the material wealth that surrounds her “junk”. Her vulnerable existence begins to unravel as she reads the first novel written by her former husband, Edward, which deliberately prompts her to reassess the choices that she had made to be successful, particularly leaving Edward, a sensitive and creative loser, for a stronger and more driven partner. The two storylines then effectively becomes a bitter, yet poignant dialogue between the former lovers, the sole purpose of which is to provoke in us a reaction as to the insensitive way we discard relationships, just like we do with outdated tech.This is a brilliantly conceived and flawlessly crafted film, with meticulous attention to detail, deciphering which is essential to comprehending the story. The cinematography, for example, is not just pretty, but is laden with symbolism. Susan’s present is captured in cold, de-saturated imagery, while the flashbacks to her past is vibrant and cheerful in tone. The fictional story, on the other hand, is captured in heavily saturated imagery with a deeper contrast. The imagery also carries meaningful markers that interweaves the two stories together. Equally well developed characterisations allow an able cast to deliver finely nuanced, compelling and therefore spellbinding performances. ’Nocturnal Animals’ is a brave and uncompromising movie, that confirms Tom Ford as one of the most gifted filmmakers working today.

This is a story in story of a man's crushing heartbreak. In the real world narrative a man is betrayed and deserted by his wife (Amy Adams) because she wants more social standing than a struggling writer can provide as a complement to their married life. She aborts their second child without informing him (There is a resulting excruciating scene in a night rain). In the story her once upon a time husband writes and sends to her years later, his protagonist is married with an older teenage girl. The family is accosted on the highway by three redneck thugs. These two narratives are interwoven skilfully to present contrast and symbolic weight. This is a powerful film that is well acted and well made.

Comme l'explique bien le réalisateur TOM FORD dans les bonus, celui-ci a voulu mêler dans son film le réel et la fiction, le présent et le passé à travers deux personnages : celui d' AMY ADAMS et celui de JAKE GYLLENHAAL (tous deux excellents). Il s'agit d'un récit ultra violent (formidable AARON TAYLOR-JOHNSON) dans la fiction symbolisé par un livre écrit par JAKE GYLLENHAAL qui n'est pas sans rapport avec la relation qu'il a eu jadis avec son ex-femme (AMY ADAMS). Un film d'une incroyable beauté dans la noirceur et, l'on retrouve de plus dans la distribution l'acteur fétiche de JEFF NICHOLS, à savoir MICHAEL SHANNON, plus halluciné que jamais. Pour résumer, un film poignant et implacable, à recommander absolument.

This is good looking movie that’s been given justice with a fantastic 2K transfer.The movie itself brilliant.

Au démarrage du générique qui est, il faut le dire, inutilement choquant et obscène ... je me suis vraiment inquiétée. Qu'est ce que ce film ???? Les 5 premières minutes sont également perturbantes, on ne sait pas trop où l'histoire va aller. Puis le film commence et la véritable histoire nous emporte dans un tourbillons de questions. Où est la vérité ? où est la fiction. Amy Adams et Jake Gyllenhall sont excellents, comme toujours. La fin est juste un peu décevante, car le reste du film nous incitait à en imaginer une autre...

La entrega del bluray fue muy rápida teniendo la membresía prime, y en excelente condición. La película es una obra maestra del séptimo arte, que atrapa al espectador de inicio a fin con su excelente historia, guion, actuaciones, fotografía y banda sonora. Recomendable ver los extras que trae el bluray, ya que se puede entender aun más la psicología de los personajes, y a diferencia de la edición mexicana (que también es editada por Universal), esta incluye también el DVD de la película.