In the opening sequence of Marielle Heller’s Nightbitch, Amy Adams’ Mother runs into a colleague who took over her position as a gallery curator. After consistently asking how great it is to be a stay-at-home mother, Mother, in a dream-like sequence responds with politeness at first. Then, after really thinking it over, she goes on a humorous tangent about how dumb she feels, how much weight she’s gained, and how angry she is all the time. It’s the perfect beginning to a long journey of humor, empathy, and confidence to share why motherhood is messy and beautiful.

Based on the bestselling 2021 novel of the same name, director Marielle Heller’s Nightbitch is a gift to fans of Amy Adams, creativity, and stories about motherhood. Mother (Adams) spends her days in consistent routine cooking for her young son, cleaning the house, taking her son on walks, and many more things in between. Her husband (Scoot McNairy) often travels for work, which leaves Mother to feel like she’s being swallowed by the responsibilities of motherhood.

Nightbitch is beautifully human and a damn good time.

As the days, weeks, and months progress of her routine, Mother begins to feel the weight of feeling lost. She feels she no longer knows herself while simultaneously experiencing extreme exhaustion. Even her failure to connect with other moms at the local library’s Baby Book Time leaves her feeling mentally anguished and isolated. So, when she begins to see and hear things that lead her to a feral awakening, Mother has no choice but to answer the beckoned call. Soon, her inner power and inspiration to find herself again reawakens.

Director Marielle Heller returned to the Toronto International Film Festival to give fans a beautifully human and memorable film watching experience with Nightbitch. Blending drama and comedy while weaving in moments of magical realism, the experience of Nightbitch is empowering, emotional, and downright fun. Through the central character, we see the many facets of motherhood: the lows and the highs, the laugh-out-loud moments and the messiness. But with each side we get to see comes a message of relief that no matter what stage of motherhood you’re in, or how you see yourself as a mother, it’s all valid.

Heller grounds her feature by limiting the magical realism.

As the film progresses, the bodily transformation that happens to Mother is both humorous and emotional. Unfortunately, there are only a couple of times where we get to see the metamorphosis. Perhaps, Heller made the decision to keep the film grounded and to not lose her viewers. But something tells me that pushing the boundaries on this would have been well-received.

For a 98-minute runtime, the film also feels a bit long, unfortunately. Whether it’s because of the voice-overs or the slow switch between Mother’s feral state versus her human one, it often feels like the movie drags despite every minute being worthwhile. The film could have also gone a little darker when exploring the roller coaster that is motherhood. While showcasing one small example of this (which certainly deserves a trigger warning), Heller demonstrated the enormous potential a darker would serve. Still, there’s no denying the powerful film we got, and the balance exercised to produce a great turnout.

Come for the script, stay for Amy Adams.

Nightbitch is the type of film that sounds ridiculous on paper. Even the trailer made most of us scratch our heads at the absurdity. However, this is a great film. More importantly, it boasts an exceptional performance from Amy Adams. It goes without saying, and we all already know this, but Adams is one of the best actresses working today. She is so fearless and committed to providing fans with exactly what they want. Here, it’s certainly no different. Amy is a gift to cinema in the way she demands your attention and empathy.

A little more reserved, McNairy also does a great job. His demonstration of an empathetic partner when he finally faces the reality of parenthood is really special. My hope for parents who watch this film after Adams and McNairy’s performances is to really proceed with empathy and understanding. Only then can a child truly get the best from both parents.

Though it doesn’t always nail everything it set out to accomplish, Nightbitch is the kind of film from which everyone can learn something. With an audacious approach to her direction and storytelling, Heller delivers a creative end product that is so easy to embrace. Amy Adams and Scoot McNairy are great, delivering performances that will certainly leave a lasting impression. And even though the film holds back on going as dark as it could, the end result is beautiful and reminds us that parenthood isn’t the end of life, rather the beginning of a new one.

Check out the Nightbitch trailer below from Searchlight Pictures: