Nocturnal Animals is a psychological thriller written and directed by Tom Ford, with a screenplay adapted from Austin Wright’s 1993 novel Tony and Susan. The film follows Susan (Amy Adams), a rich art gallery owner in Los Angeles. One day, Susan receives a package from her ex-husband Edward (Jake Gyllenhaal) that contains the manuscript for his newest novel, which is dedicated to her. As Susan reads further and further into Edward’s sadistic thriller, the more unsettled she becomes.

Many of you know Tom Ford from his prominent position among fashion royalty (or from the catchy line “I don’t pop molly, I rock Tom Ford” from Jay-Z’s 2013 hit “Tom Ford”), but Ford is also one hell of a filmmaker. The 55-year-old designer first broke into Hollywood with his 2009 debut effort A Single Man, a heartfelt and poignant drama about a gay university professor dealing with the loss of his partner, which earned Colin Firth an Academy Award nomination for Best Actor. A Single Man was an amazing film, but Ford has truly outdone himself with his sophomore effort Nocturnal Animals. He has an almost innate ability to create the picture-perfect blend of style and story, and his venture into noir here is to cinema’s benefit.

What Ford excels the most at in Nocturnal Animals is his storytelling. Tom Ford seamlessly intertwines three separate narratives: the past, the present, and the fiction. We spend time following present-day Susan, as well as exploring her failed marriage to Edward many years ago—all the while, we see a visual representation of Edward’s novel acted out while present-day Susan reads the book. It is a unique storytelling device that thrives thanks to the profoundly creative mind of its creator. Ford fiercely examines love, heartbreak, revenge, and the notion that we can never turn back time to right our wrongs—the story is disturbing and beautiful, all at the same time. Nocturnal Animals is not a perfect film; but I assure you, it is a striking piece of cinema that absolutely sticks with you!

In Nocturnal Animals, Ford has brought together a stellar cast of actors, each with his or her own talents and contributions that make this film so great. For starters, Amy Adams thrives as Susan—she has always been one of my favorite actresses, and, per usual, she shines in every one of her scenes. Further, I am surprised Jake Gyllenhaal has not gotten more attention for his magnificent portrayal of two characters: Edward in the “past” scenes and Tony in the visual depictions of Edward’s novel. Edward and Tony are two vastly different characters, and Gyllenhaal nails the dichotomy in his performance of both roles.

The two actors garnering the most attention, though, are Michael Shannon and Aaron Taylor-Johnson. Although Taylor-Johnson won the Golden Globe for Best Supporting Actor (upsetting Mahershala Ali in the process), he did not even receive a nomination at the Oscars; conversely, Shannon snagged an Oscar nomination in the Supporting Actor category. Both actors are exceptional talents in Nocturnal Animals, and I greatly enjoyed their performances. Shannon plays an inexplicable Texas lawman in Edward’s novel, and he knocks his performance out of the park. On the other hand, Taylor-Johnson stole the show for me as the terrifying Ray, the ringleader of a band of thugs in Edward’s novel that torment Tony and his family on the side of the highway in the single greatest scene in the film. Although his character is not one the Academy usually celebrates, I truly believe he deserved that nomination over Shannon. Nocturnal Animals is rated R for violence, menace, graphic nudity, and language.

Nocturnal Animals trailer: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=-H1Ii1LjyFU

Academy Award nominations for Nocturnal Animals:

Best Actor in a Supporting Role (Michael Shannon)