A lot of things work for this film. Amy Adams is a surefire Oscar nominee for Best Actress, and the screenplay might get a lot of love too. This is a very honest and realistic depiction of what it’s like to be a single mom in 2024.
This is a very emotionally ugly film a lot of the time. But if you’re going to depict the practical impossibilities of a “traditional” type of marriage, then the ugliness needs to be put front and center in the exact way that it is here.
The first and second acts are strong, but the third act does suffer from the dreaded “RETURN OF THE KING Syndrome” unfortunately – this film could have ended on at least five different scenes, and it would’ve gotten the point across just as much as it’s actual ending. Very funny as well.
NIGHTBITCH will be released in theaters on December 6, 2024.
Editor’s Note: This review is part of a collection of reviews by Eli Brumfield after attending the 2024 AFI Fest in Los Angeles. Check out the rest of his reviews from the film festival here: AFI FEST 2024 (A RUNDOWN…)