Amy Adams delivers a riveting performance in Nightbitch, a film directed by Marielle Heller and based on Rachel Yoder's novel. The story taps into the raw, untamed side of motherhood as it delves into a suburban mother's journey of self-discovery (or rather, re-discovery) amidst the often-unspoken pressures that come with parenting.

Adams portrays a woman who has left behind her career to focus entirely on raising her child. From the beginning, the film lays bare the heavy emotional toll that this decision takes on her, exposing her isolation, exhaustion, and creeping sense of losing her identity. Symbolically, her character isn't even named and is credited simply as 'Mother.' Nightbitch critiques the glorified image of motherhood as a seamless, fulfilling experience while highlighting the messy, conflicted reality many mothers face.

Scoot McNairy plays the husband, a man who, like many fathers, isn't expected to shoulder the same parental responsibilities as his wife, nor does he seem to fully grasp the magnitude of work it entails. In one scene, Adams'character asks him to bathe their child so she can take a much-needed rest on the couch. However, her brief respite is soon interrupted by his constant requests for assistance—tasks she handles alone on a daily basis. This moment highlights the imbalance in parental roles, where fathers are often seen as "helpers" or "babysitters." At the same time, the bulk of caregiving falls on mothers, a recurring theme the film revisits with precision.

As Adams' character grapples with the daily demands of motherhood, strange physical changes begin to surface. Fuzz appears on her back, her senses sharpen, and she feels an almost animalistic connection to her environment. While these moments hint at the body horror genre, the film doesn't fully commit to that space. However, the transformations are effective metaphors for the suppressed desires that motherhood can stifle—the longing for personal ambition, independence, and freedom. These changes serve as a visual representation of her inner turmoil and the instinctual needs she has buried for so long.

One of the most striking aspects of Nightbitch is its commentary on societal expectations for mothers. Adams' character is frequently approached by other mothers, who ask how wonderful it must be to care for her child. The film cuts to her internal monologues—raw, unfiltered tirades about the sleepless nights, the endless diapers, and the thanklessness of everything. Yet, when the scene returns to reality, she smiles politely and assures them that motherhood is wonderful. It's a darkly humorous reflection on the performance mothers often must put on, masking their real struggles to meet an unrealistic ideal of maternal perfection.

The film also goes beyond merely critiquing societal pressures. As Adams' character continues to experience physical and emotional changes, she begins to suspect that she's not the only mother hiding something beneath the surface. The carefully curated façades of the other mothers in her group start to unravel, revealing a shared sense of buried instincts. Her growing self-awareness coincides with a separation from her husband, and she begins to channel her newfound independence into an art project that explores the animalistic urges she feels. This project symbolizes her reclaiming her autonomy and sense of self while also reflecting the complexities of the other mothers' lives.

Nightbitch offers a sharp critique of how motherhood is often portrayed and perceived. The film strips away the notion of motherhood as a purely nurturing and beautiful experience, presenting it as something far more exhausting, raw, and sometimes violent in its demands. Adams' character's journey is one of awakening—a rejection of the societal pressures that expect mothers to sublimate their individuality and strength in favor of self-sacrifice.

The film delivers its message with precision but stumbles in the final act by becoming overly explicit with its themes. The choice to rely on voiceover to articulate "Mother's" interiority feels unnecessary. Her physical performance had already communicated her frustrations, her disconnection from societal norms, and her primal transformation with great depth. Leaning more into the metaphor and allegorical exploration of motherhood would have allowed for a more rewarding and immersive viewing experience, trusting the audience to engage with the more profound meaning. Instead, the decision to over-explain in the final act undercuts some of that experience. Additionally, I would have loved to see the film lean deeper into its body horror elements, fully committing to a genre-driven exploration of these raw, primal instincts. Despite this, Nightbitch remains a highly engaging and thought-provoking film. It presents a fresh, often uncomfortable perspective on the pressures women face to conform to idealized images of motherhood. Amy Adams is exceptional throughout, delivering a simmering, intense performance as a woman who sheds societal expectations and begins to rediscover her own desires, ambitions, and sense of self in the process.

A darkly humorous and thematically rich take on motherhood and identity, Nightbitch is an engaging watch even though it could have reached greater heights by fully trusting its audience to engage with the deeper, metaphorical meaning without the need for overt exposition.

— 3.5 / 5 ⭐