The title Nightbitch initially came across as harsh. I thought the meaning might mean point to  women showing their worst behavior after dark. Surprisingly, evening hours take on a whole new meaning in Nightbitch. Written and directed by Marielle Heller, an auteur force who has an eye for capturing bizarre conflicts with class. She did so with The Diary of a Teenage Girl, A Beautiful Day in the Neighborhood, and What the Constitution Means to Me. My respect for Heller comes from her persistence in taking tolerance to a breaking point. Nightbitch has classical moments that fall apart drastically and are incredibly enticing.

Amy Adams is Mother in Nightbitch. Mother is her character’s name, and she appears to experience bipolar feelings. During moments of rage, the film has narrations using Adam’s voice on her point-of-view. Adams plays an introverted mother that hates the label of stay-at-home mom. Nightbitch is a unique approach of showcasing hidden frustrations waiting to be unleashed. The perception of a boring life goes through silly and clever changes. Despite the many thoughts in the mind of Mother, she has one massive concern, i.e. she has signs of turning into a dog. Is Mother losing her mind due to weird hormones clouding her thinking process? If anything, transforming into a dog may mean there are many messes in her future. Nightbitch has plenty of unexpected clean-ups. Heller’s writing is effective in illustrating how irritations can be overcome by fictional and humanistic factors.

The one who tries to be there for Mother is Husband. Husband is his character’s name, and he is played by Scoot McNairy. He is the bread winner who struggles to understand his spouse. The bipolar episodes occur sporadically as Adams plays a witch of an unprecedented and surreal nature in Nightbitch! She even says, “I am Nightbitch!” and later, Husband tells her, “Happiness is a choice.” The many ups and downs in Nightbitch keep viewers focused on Adams and her performance is worthy of careful attention.

This is one of the most messy and unusual roles I have seen Adams in. She has the ability display a presence where she can be happy, but internally she is a ferocious dog wanting to come out of her doghouse. Her performance is a new and artistic look at a mid-life crisis scenario.  The added and unique component is the risk that it is likely she is turning into a dog. It is like female hormones raging but with dog fur added leading to a twisted werewolf theme in Nightbitch. It is compelling with unexpected scenes, various outbursts, and all kinds of weirdness. Somehow it manages to flow and be intriguing. However, it resorts back to over-dramatizations a bit too frequently. Does the dog transformation completely happen? Nightbitch goes through a transition to seriousness that is close to brilliant and the fulfillment of the plot centering around the transformation leads to significant gratification. While it is unexpected and just a bit off-track, overall, two-and-a-half out of four stars for Nightbitch.