Tom Ford: Nocturnal Animals

Tom Ford's Nocturnal Animals hit the cinema a few weeks ago but I've finally sat my arse down and watched the film instead of hearing about it from everybody around me! I must admit the movie continued to haunt me even after I watched it... 

Specifically, I found the ending of the movie to be enigmatic and worthy of a further conversation. In the main time period, Susan (aka Amy Adams) is living in an unhappy marriage and unsatisfied with the art she's putting out into the world. When a book titled 'Nocturnal Animals' hits her doorstep from her ex-husband, Edward Sheffield (aka Jake Gyllenhaal), Susan quickly reads it till its conclusion. 

In gripping fashion, the movie recreates the events of the book's plot, with Gyllenhaal also playing Tony Hastings, a man whose wife and daughter were brutally murdered. While Hastings kills the man responsible, he ends up injured.

The movie ends with Susan emailing Edward to set up a dinner meeting at a restaurant. She waits at the restaurant for hours. Edward never shows up. We cut to end credits. What does it all mean?

After all I've just watched, how is standing Susan up for a date supposed to be satisfying in any way?

I think it's clear that Edward's book is about his marriage with Susan. However, the events in the book Nocturnal Animals are all about Edward's revenge on Susan. I think Edward doesn't give a flying monkey about Susan anymore, but he does know that Nocturnal Animals is a hit, and that talent and brilliantness is something Susan will be attracted to. So, he put in front of her the opportunity of meeting up again and possibly rekindling old flames? I quote Elias Wiesel "The opposite of love is not hate, its indifference" (thanks dad for this quote!) so I believe the film's ending is a much more hurtful form of revenge than anything Edward could actively do to hurt Susan. 

What are your thoughts on Nocturnal Animals? How do you feel about the ending, middle or beginning of the movie?

I'll leave a video the Nocturnal Animals movie trailer below:

Brandi Kristine

Photo Credit: Google Images