In Nightbitch, motherhood is violent and primordial And female anger is a liberating force

When the first synopsis of Nightbitch, a Searchlight Pictures film written and directed by Marielle Heller, was released, Twitter erupted into 10 minutes of chaos and frenzy. Wait, what? Amy Adams is going to play a woman who transforms into a dog? Why can't we give her a film worthy of her talent? Why does nothing make sense? These were just a few of the questions flooding social media from fans of the actress as well as cinephiles worldwide. I—yes, I'm bragging here—jumped on the bandwagon for this movie back then, confused but curious to see how it would turn out. And now I can say it: I was right.

The meaning behind Nightbitch, now available for streaming

Nightbitch, available for streaming on Disney+ starting January 24, hides a lot beneath its layer of eccentricity, a certain level of boldness, and a touch of body horror. It’s a film that, if we look beyond its initial oddity, raises questions, tackles fundamental themes, and serves them up on a silver platter to the audience, who may laugh at times but will also feel a little uncomfortable. And rightly so—because that's how it should feel when confronted with motherhood and with art, whether it’s films, books, or other works. Finally.

A new wave of unsettling films about womanhood, relationships, and motherhood

From this perspective, it’s easy to place Nightbitch in a new wave of unsettling, sharp films about women, motherhood, relationships, our role in society, and how society views our bodies and what it means to age. I would pair it with Barbarian, the 2022 film directed by Zach Gregger that explores monstrous motherhood and exploitation through a fully horror lens, The Substance, and Companion, which will arrive in Italian theaters on January 30. But I won’t spoil anything for now—at least not yet.