Nightbitch (2024)

After being intrigued by whatever Nightbitch might be when I first heard about it (and I really didn't know exactly what it was, other than Amy Adams being a mother who seems to take a turn for the feral), I was dissuaded from making it a priority by the middling-to-poor reviews it got from many people I often feel in sync with. So it was a pleasant surprise to find out that it was actually really good.

Amy Adams plays a mother who starts to get a bit fed up of being in the box simply labelled "mother". This puts her at odds with her husband (Scoot McNairy), and it also causes some raised eyebrows from other mothers. But it also causes some envy, because a lot of women want the chance to remind themselves of who they once were, to celebrate themselves completely, and to admit the oft-unspoken truth that, as much as a mother loves her child, motherhood can also often suck.

Adapting the novel by Rachel Yoder, what you get here is a sharp and smart film from writer-director Marielle Heller that, much like the character at the heart of it, fights against being pigeonholed, and it feels as if that is part of the problem for many who watched it. The easiest way to describe it is as a comedy, but it's a very dark and wonderfully strange comedy. It's also a comedy that many will refuse to even smile at, considering what it says about the messy nature of parenting life and the many small (and large) ways in which women lose their own identity as they take on the roles of wife, mother, and basically whatever else fits around men who don't suffer from that same loss of identity.

Adams is fantastic in the lead role, really sinking her teeth (pun intended) into something that is far removed from the kind of thing shown onscreen in mainstream fare. Credited simply as "Mother", she's happy to show herself hitting a real low point before digging deep within herself to find a way back to the surface. She's generally always great, but this feels like something very different from any other performance she has given in the last couple of decades. McNairy also does a great job as the husband (credited as "Husband"), handling himself with good grace in the role that could have easily been performed as the main villain of the piece. Jessica Harper has a small, but important, role, and Zoë Chao, Mary Holland, Archana Rajan, and one or two others help to move along the conversation about the toll of motherhood and the ways in which society enables the constant erosion of women in service of the care of loved ones.

Don't take note of the people who are disappointed by this not being something that it never intended to be. It has also been marketed as a bit of a horror movie (something I would argue against, although there's an element of body horror running throughout it, which is in line with the equation of motherhood/marriage putting someone in a relationship with a parasitic entity they also end up in love with). Enjoy it for what it is, which is something quite unique and brilliantly scathing, and don't worry about what it isn't. I suspect that too many people have already done the latter.

Oh, and bonus points for use of "Dare To Be Stupid" on the soundtrack.

8/10

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Mubi Monday: Suspiria (1977)

It may seem paradoxical to say so but I've always thought that perfect films don't have to BE perfect. They just have to work perfectly for you. If you want to recommend Kangaroo Jack as your favourite film, and you genuinely see it as a perfect film for you, then it's a perfect film, despite the imperfections. I know that Jaws isn't a perfect movie (although, come on, it's nowhere near as imperfect as a Kangaroo Jack) but it is to me. It's my favourite film of all time, no matter how many scenes show how fake the big shark can look, or how the underwater footage rarely matches the supposed size of the "real" creature. It just doesn't matter. I am drawn into that film from the opening moments and I am absolutely wrapped up in the entire experience until the very end of the end credits.

That opening paragraph is a long-winded way to avoid upsetting people when I start saying that a lot of individual elements of Suspiria are far from perfect. The acting isn't great, even from the beloved leading lady (Jessica Harper), the script is a load of codswallop at times, and there's very little logic to be had for those who need such things. Not that any of that matters. Suspiria still manages to be a perfect film because it's a phenomenal marriage of sound and vision that contains at least two of the best set-pieces in the genre (one being the very opening sequence).

Here's the plot, for the little it matters. Harper plays Suzy Bannion, an American woman who turns up to attend a prestigious dance academy in Germany. She soon starts to realise that the place is a bit odd, and other girls start to disappear (due to them being killed by mysterious, unseen, forces).

Written by director Dario Argento and Daria Nicolodi, the script may not be all that memorable when it comes to the dialogue but it works well when hinting at the Three Sisters mythos that Argento would also use for some other movies. And the words come second to the visuals, which are no less than stunning.

Eye-searing reds complement deep blacks, whether it's the decor or the bright blood spilling out of victims. You get other colours too, but it's the reds that imprint themselves on the mind most vividly. This is such a gorgeous movie that, yes, almost every frame could be removed and hung up as a painting. It's one of the most beautiful movies you will ever see and easily remains the most gorgeous horror movie ever painted on film.

Then you have the audio work, layering on the atmosphere and chills. That classic score by Goblin is every bit as good as you've heard it is and the sound design throughout is flawless (not counting the dubbed dialogue), from footsteps being listened to by lead characters to breathing emanating from invisible observers, making it seem like the building itself is the main presence, and the moments that feature shattering glass and pierced flesh.

If you have still not seen this then change that as soon as possible. If you recently saw the remake and thought it better than this then I encourage a revisit. You may still prefer the new take on the material but it's worth reminding yourself of just how absolutely gorgeous and chilling the original is.

10/10

You may want to shop around, but here is one disc version of the film.
Americans can pick up this edition.