Popcorn Perspectives with Danny Minton
Week of December 2, 2024
Nightbitch
Rated R for language and some sexuality
Rotten Tomatoes Score: 66%
In Theaters
Based on the novel by Rachael Yoder, Amy Adams plays a stay at home mother who has put her professional life as an artist on hold while she raises her infant son. With her life full of regrets and her relationship with her husband (Scoot McNairy) strained to the limits, her world takes a surreal turn when she begins to discover that she might be turning into a dog, hunting at night with a pack of neighborhood canines. You can tell that this strange little tale, which just happened to land a megastar in the leading role, was meant to draw attention to a very specific group of young women: stay at home moms who hate being stay at home moms, either some, or all of the time. While the nightmarish pseudo-shapeshifting adds for a much needed comedic refocussing, the crux of the film centers around the mental illness parenting can cause, and some very unhealthy ways of dealing with it. While the very subject matter is not enjoyable in the least, Amy Adams overcomes that with a roaring performance that makes the film at least a watchable and teachable event. I don’t particularly like her character, and I felt as much empathy for the husband as I did the wife, but I can also appreciate its merits and its message. So while the acting is great, the story could have used some work if they had any intention of widening its audience, which might not be what the filmmakers wanted at all. In fact, it seems quite the opposite. C+
Flow
Rated PG for peril and thematic elements
Rotten Tomatoes Score: 97%
In Theaters
This Latvian-made animated film, which won the Cannes Un Certain Regard Award, tells the story of a cat who finds itself facing a flood at the end of the world which threatens its existence if it doesn’t make daring moves to somehow stay alive. In order to survive, it is forced to make friends with an unlikely group of animals, including a dog, a lemur, a capybara and a secretary bird, all struggling to literally keep their head above water. As land begins to disappear and they find themselves trapped in a row boat, they go on a beautiful but deadly journey, seeing a world that seems to have lost its humans long ago and which is now evolving into a new and strange planet. All told without the use of animals talking amongst one another, the film uses natural animal actions, for the most part, for communication and action. While there are some moments that feel more like a Miyazaki film, the overall story arch comes across as original and unique, always keeping you on your toes and never projecting its next move. With beautiful animation and spectacular sound design, this experience becomes one heck of little movie that could land Oscar nominations for both animation and best foreign film, since it has been submitted as the Latvian qualifier for Best International Feature. A-