The creative industry is large and versatile. Every part that is part of this industry differs drastically from each other. However, there are cases where people migrate between them and further explore their creative abilities with an entirely different set of skills. This is the case of the famous fashion designer Tom Fordwho has become a film director in recent years.
Tom Ford is known for his luxury fashion brand, which has been in the industry for almost two decades. Still, the designer wasn’t content with just making pretty clothes that would often be used in the film industry: he wanted to direct, which he did in the excellent, visually stunning A single man. He turned out to be a great director and writer with a very specific vision, especially in his 2016 thriller nocturnal animals.
nocturnal animals tells the story of a writer who sends his ex-wife the first book he wrote, named after his nickname for her, Nocturnal animal. The film then tells the story of the ex-wife’s current situation and parts of her past, including why her previous marriage didn’t work out. The film also follows the story of the book, a thriller about a man who took his family from him. Reality and fiction have more in common than the main character might initially think.
Here’s why the film is worth watching and how Ford used everything he knew about filmmaking to create such a powerful story.
A haunting story
nocturnal animals is a film about love, loss, different kinds of grief and the price of revenge. No need to add how heavy this movie gets at times, creating really awkward situations for the characters and the audience. Nevertheless, the brilliance seen in the film has a lot to do with how it decides to tell this heartbreaking story, even if that means violence and intensity.
The story is about Susan (a wonderful Amy Adams), an artist unhappy with all aspects of her life, who receives a book from her ex-husband (a truly haunted Jake Gyllenhaal). When the character begins to read the story, the audience is transported into the book and can follow both stories until the credits roll. The thriller shows a family traveling by car at night. During the journey they encounter some very violent people and end up being separated – the mother and daughter go with the men and the father stays behind.
The physical violence shown in the story in the book is a counterpoint to the internal violence Susan experiences for living her life so unhappily. It also sheds light on the misfortune she had caused in other people’s lives in the past, especially her ex-husband. The way the stories flow into one another, even hinting at a few details from the main character’s past before confirming it, is fascinating to watch. It’s not a feel-good movie and there are very different villains in this story within a story, leaving audiences wondering if they were ever the villain in someone else’s story.
Nocturnal Animals has an excellent cast
There are some very heavy hitters in the film’s cast. The cast of these actors was extremely well done as they have a deep chemistry that is noticeable within seconds of their appearance on screen. This is especially true for Amy Adams and Jake Gyllenhaal, who initially start out as a young couple trying to beat all odds. Their relationship evolves into a marriage in crisis and the moment when they fall apart after Adams’ character makes a drastic decision about their future alone.
Then there’s the set of actors who play the characters in the book. Michael Shannon plays a broken sheriff who wants to do the right thing in a tough and cruel world. Isla Fisher and Ellie Bamber play the fictional protagonist’s family, also played by Gyllenhaal. Both actresses express their desperation to such an extent that the viewer cannot see them being kidnapped and cannot hold their breath. But the actor who really takes it out of the park and who won a Golden Globe for his performance in the film is Aaron Taylor-Johnson. His depiction of a horrible man sometimes makes the viewer feel sick, much to the credit of the actor;
Tom Ford as director
There is no denying that Tom Ford has mastered how to convey a feeling based on aesthetics, including color, texture, etc. It was really interesting to see how the fashion designer, who has been A single man and worked as a costume designer in others such as 007: Quantum of Consolation, have another creative outlet to express a story. There is a lot of symbolism in the way he uses colors, especially red, because it is a color that reminds both violence and passion.
Ford goes beyond the colors he uses: the positions in which the bodies are found, the empty and luxurious dark house Susan lives in, and every little detail tells a little more about the story, connecting both worlds in different but subtle ways. connected. The opening scene shows Susan’s artistic exposé, where dance, bodies, color and the soundtrack all help set the tone of this story in a very unusual way, before immediately transporting the audience to a black and white world of the main character: where you miss the color and the joy you just saw. Clearly, the person in charge had a very specific vision they wanted to achieve, and Ford was extremely successful at it. This story is told in such a way that the amount of creative delicacy involved is worth watching.
nocturnal animals is one of those movies that stays with you after it ends. There is a deep cruelty that characterizes the viewers, and at the same time it is a story about the consequences of love. It’s one of the best recent thrillers made and should get more acclaim than it has in the years since its release.