Regret and revenge are at the heart of fashion designer come filmmaker Tom Ford’s latest thriller Nocturnal Animals. Firmly planted somewhere in the dark spaces between Hitchcock and Brian DePalma, Ford’s film is a moody, and occasionally violent tale that shifts effortlessly between three perspectives and plays with the form and function of storytelling. Art gallery owner Susan Morrow (Amy Adams) gets a book from her first love and jilted ex-husband (Jake Gyllenhaal), while at the same time suspecting her new husband is having an affair. Left alone over a weekend she starts to read and is haunted by the dark and violent tale set in the lost wastelands of West Texas.

As she reads the book “Noctunal Animals” we see the story unfold before us, while also gaining insight into her past through flashbacks. Bouncing between the present, the past and the story between the pages, Ford’s film confidently shifts and overlaps memories and imaginings. How Susan imagines the story is as important as what she imagines, as memory and imagination begin to blur. The central character of the story she is reading is a representation of her ex-husband – the author – (both played by Gyllenhaal). Faced with a horrible torment, there are implied parallels about male strength, self-preservation, power regret and revenge that bind the present, past and story, as Susan seeks to understand more about where this story came from and why did her ex-husband deliver her a copy.

In a day and age where films are often either saved or killed through editing, this throwback thriller shows us the pleasure that comes from crafting a smart story. Supported by a haunting score, the film offers questions and few answers, except to suggest that there is no such thing as a happy ending.

~ Adam O. Thomas is a filmmaker, writer and educator. You might also find him hanging out at kootenay co op radio.