a NOCTURNAL ANIMALS musing

So, quick synopsis: a woman receives a manuscript from her ex-husband, reads it and remembers her time with him (with the film following three different storylines). That is the most basic I can boil it down to, because there is so much going on in this movie, and this is definitely worth further discussion, but main thoughts on this: the acting is incredible, not a single weak link in the cast, this is definitely Amy Adams’ year and Michael Shannon steals all his scenes, Jake Gyllenhaal is great, too; the parallels between the real life story and the manuscript/book story are so profound, I’m still probably going to be unpacking all of the details for the next few weeks; the story is captivating, and the manuscript story is so damn intense and uncomfortable in a good way. I really can’t put into words exactly how I feel right now since this film is so dark and twisted, but so deep. I think I’ll need another viewing to get a more solid opinion, and I absolutely LOVE that about movies in general. 8/10.

PS It’s interesting that past two movies I’ve seen (this and LA LA LAND) deal with artists and their pursuit of perfection and purpose. #relatable