Nocturnal Animals (2016)
12-month trend
12-month trend
Monthly article views
2025-09 to 2026-08
An art gallery owner becomes consumed by the dark narrative of a novel written by her estranged ex-husband.
The story
Susan Morrow, an upscale Los Angeles art gallery owner, receives a manuscript for a novel titled 'Nocturnal Animals' from her estranged ex-husband, Edward Sheffield, whom she hasn't seen in nearly twenty years. As she navigates a deteriorating marriage to her current husband, Hutton, she becomes consumed by the book's narrative. The story within the novel follows Tony Hastings, a man whose family is kidnapped during a road trip in West Texas. As Susan reads, the boundaries between the fictional events and her own past relationship with Edward begin to blur, forcing her to confront the history of their failed romance and the choices she made to move on.
Full plot (contains spoilers)
Susan Morrow, an art gallery owner in Los Angeles, receives a manuscript from her estranged ex-husband, Edward Sheffield. The novel, 'Nocturnal Animals,' depicts the harrowing story of Tony Hastings, whose wife and daughter are kidnapped and murdered by a gang in West Texas. Tony is eventually forced into a desperate, violent confrontation with the perpetrators. As Susan reads the novel, she is forced to confront her past with Edward, including her decision to abandon their relationship and her child to stay with her current husband, Hutton. In the present day, Susan finishes the book and arranges a meeting with Edward at a restaurant, where he fails to appear, leaving her alone.
- First release year
- 2016
- Runtime (minutes)
- 116
- Production countries
- United States
- Original languages
- English
- Directors
- Tom Ford
- Writers
- Tom Ford · screenplay
- Cast and characters
- Amy Adams · Susan Morrow; Jake Gyllenhaal · Edward Sheffield / Tony Hastings; Michael Shannon · Detective Bobby Andes; Aaron Taylor-Johnson · Ray Marcus; Isla Fisher · Laura Hastings; Ellie Bamber · India Hastings; Armie Hammer · Hutton Morrow; Karl Glusman · Lou Bates
- Genres
- neo-noir; psychological thriller
- Themes
- fragile masculinity; romance and bleakness
- Tone and mood
- bleak; poetic; darkly funny
- Premise and plot tags
- non-linear narrative; rape and revenge; films about novels
- Source material / true-story basis
- Tony and Susan by Austin Wright
- Reception
- The film received positive reviews, with praise for the performances and Tom Ford's direction.
- Reported review scores
- Metacritic · score: 67 · scale: 100 · review count: 45
- Awards and nominations
- Best Supporting Actor · Academy Awards · Nominated
- Production trivia
- The film was produced by Tom Ford.; The final scene was filmed in the Yamashiro Historic District.; The film grossed over $32 million worldwide.
Film metadata comes from the open sources listed in Credits & Contact. Catalogue details may be incomplete.
Your lists
Loading your lists…