Nightbitch (2024)
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A woman who feels isolated by the demands of motherhood begins to experience physical changes that suggest she is transforming into a dog.
The story
Mother has paused her career as an artist to become a stay-at-home mom for her two-year-old son. Because her husband is away on work trips most of the time, she is responsible for the majority of the caregiving for the boy. Feeling isolated from her artistic identity and resentful of what she sees as the expectation to be friends with other mothers, she frequently fantasizes about lashing out at those around her. She begins to experience surreal physical changes, including patches of fur on her body, the growth of a tail and additional nipples, and heightened senses. Although she initially dismisses these developments as symptoms of emotional stress and perimenopause, she soon becomes convinced that she is turning into a dog.
Full plot (contains spoilers)
Mother, a woman who paused her artistic career to raise her son, begins experiencing physical transformations like fur growth and a tail, leading her to believe she is turning into a dog. She begins to embrace this identity, adopting canine behaviors and finding a new sense of freedom while her husband is often away. She discovers her own mother also underwent such transformations and realizes her son has inherited these traits. Following a trial separation from her husband, she reconciles her animalistic and artistic identities. Eventually, she and her husband reach an understanding and reunite their family, and she later gives birth to a daughter.
- First release year
- 2024
- Runtime (minutes)
- 99
- Production countries
- United States
- Original languages
- English
- Directors
- Marielle Heller
- Writers
- Marielle Heller · screenplay
- Cast and characters
- Amy Adams · Mother; Scoot McNairy; Arleigh Snowden; Emmett Snowden; Zoë Chao; Mary Holland; Archana Rajan; Jessica Harper
- Genres
- black comedy; body horror; comedy horror
- Themes
- identity; motherhood; transformation
- Tone and mood
- black comedy; magical realism
- Premise and plot tags
- body horror; shapeshifting; parenting
- Source material / true-story basis
- the 2021 novel by Rachel Yoder
- Content notes
- body horror
- Reception
- The film received mixed reviews from critics.
- Reported review scores
- Metacritic · score: 56 · scale: 100 · review count: 53
- Production trivia
- The film was originally set to be released on Hulu.
Film metadata comes from the open sources listed in Credits & Contact. Catalogue details may be incomplete.
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