A comedic body horror film 'Nightbitch' starring Amy Adams as a werewolf woman has been released on streaming services. What this thing is and what it's all about—read on in the review.

Mother (yes, that's the name of the heroine played by Amy Adams) was once a famous conceptual artist, but she had to leave her beloved work during and after pregnancy. Now she spends her days at home, caring for her restless son who needs constant supervision. Her husband (Scoot McNairy) is always on business trips and doesn't particularly burden himself with child-rearing. Mother has no friends, nor does she want any, believing that having children is a pathetic excuse for friendship.

Her life is full of hardships and disappointments. She constantly worries about not being a good enough parent. One fateful day, she notices strange processes in her body. At first, she dismisses it as 'hormones acting up.' But the symptoms don't go away, and on top of that, animal instincts start to emerge. Soon she comes to the conclusion that she is turning into a dog.

'Nightbitch' is an adaptation of the novel of the same name by Rachel Yoder, written in the genre of magical realism. Both the film and the original work are a socially important statement wrapped in an allegorical wrapper. The fact that it is a parable is already indicated by the central characters having no names—instead, they are designated by social roles. Interestingly, Scoot McNairy's character is listed in the credits as Husband, because calling him Father would be a stretch.

What is the moral of this fable? Let's start with the fact that 'Nightbitch' can hardly be accused of creating a negative image of motherhood. Rather, the opposite. The main thrust of its criticism is directed against a society that demands too much from women. The film argues that it is not good when women are perceived as incubator machines rather than complex individuals with a need for self-fulfillment. At the same time, 'Nightbitch' shows that maternal labor is often devalued and ridiculed.

The selfish and somewhat dim-witted husband advises the main character to treat caring for their son like a job, though he himself has shirked that responsibility. He considers her former profession meaningless and never misses an opportunity to needle her with the question of whether she is happy about having a child. Eventually, McNairy's character goes so far as to accuse the heroine of having changed after childbirth and no longer being 'the girl he married.' One of the film's leading motifs is the fear of losing one's former attractiveness. Yes, this is a feminist body horror about accepting oneself, so comparisons to the sensational 'The Substance' are not unfounded. If in Coralie Fargeat's film the heroine's complex was related to aging, in Marielle Heller's film it is related to pregnancy.

Like Demi Moore, Amy Adams is not afraid to show her 'imperfection' on screen, making her performance in 'Nightbitch' seem unusually bold. As for the bodily horrors themselves, the film in question falls far short of 'The Substance': you won't see any incredible makeup work here.

However, the shortcomings don't end there. Watching 'Nightbitch' is interesting only until the film switches to the language of slogans, turning into a kind of manifesto or sermon. Although a monologue of corresponding content and tone is present from the first scene, it becomes especially noticeable in the second act. On top of that, a crazy accumulation of flashbacks and side sketches, often occurring in the heroine's head, kills the film's tempo and rhythm.

Without a doubt, Amy Adams running on all fours, sniffing people, and eating raw meat is, let's say, an extravagant and somewhat unique spectacle. However, despite the intriguing performance and important message, Heller's film has little else to boast about. It is a very uneven, strange, and occasionally cringe-inducing movie that loudly states truisms as if for the first time. There are plenty of good psychological horror films about the hardships of parenthood, and 'Nightbitch,' unfortunately, is not one of them.

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