NOCTURNAL ANIMALS review
So, NOCTURNAL ANIMALS. It really transcends labels and genre. The closest I can come up with is if Truman Capote, David Lynch, and Wim Wenders collaborated on a project together. The last scene, in particular, is truthful and deserved, and I loved it.
Technically its visuals (colors, lighting and camera angles) are vivid and beautiful, often times when the subject matter itself is grotesque and stomach churning. One scene, in particular, filled me with as much turmoil and heartache as sequences from HENRY PORTRAIT OF A SERIAL KILLER or THE VANISHING.
The plot is spellbinding but sterile; the same can be said of the characters. But that doesn’t make them any less mesmerizing. But let’s face it, even when her character comes off as a dead-fish, Amy Adams’ very presence is enough to sustain interest (and maybe that’s the point, too).
And the film only solidifies my respect for Jake Gyllenhaal, who last week I watched in the unnoticed DEMOLITION. After that, this, SOUTHPAW, PRISONERS, ENEMY and NIGHTCRAWLER, he’s fast become one of my favorite actors.
