Overview
A haunting exploration of love and revenge unfolds through the pages of a manuscript.
Ember's analysis
- Pacing
- Measured
- Intensity
- Strong
- Complexity
- Layered
- Violence
- Brutal
- brooding
- seductive
- bleak
- late night viewing
- serious movie night
What critics said
Critics broadly praised Tom Ford's assured direction, intricate story-within-a-story structure, visual style, and strong performances, while some found it excessively stylized or troubling in its treatment of violence against women.
What sets it apart
May contain story progression spoilers
Susan reads Edward's manuscript while the manuscript's violent story parallels her memories and unresolved relationship with him.
Susan's affluent art-world surroundings are juxtaposed with the manuscript's bleak, dangerous environments.
The manuscript transforms the failed marriage and Susan's rejection of Edward into a dark fantasy of punishment and revenge.
The story withholds definitive closure while making Susan's reading experience and past choices central to the final emotional effect.
Films like Nocturnal Animals, and why
Mulholland Drive
shared neo-noir atmosphere, psychological suspense, fractured storytelling, and morally corrosive relationships
The Night of the Hunter
shared embedded narratives, nocturnal dread, revenge themes, and unsettling ambiguity
The Girl with the Dragon Tattoo
shared literary adaptation, bleak romanticism, stylized visual design, and psychologically destabilizing suspense
Gone Girl
shared domestic betrayal, revenge thriller conventions, and emotionally ambiguous character psychology
Movie Details
- Director
- Tom Ford
- Release Date
- 2016-11-04
- Runtime
- 116 min
- Rating
- 7.4 / 10 (8486)
Cast
- Amy Adams
- Jake Gyllenhaal
- Michael Shannon
- Aaron Taylor-Johnson
- Isla Fisher
- Ellie Bamber
- Armie Hammer
- Karl Glusman
- Robert Aramayo
- Laura Linney
Where to watch in United States
- Streaming
- Peacock Premium, Peacock Premium Plus
- Rent
- Amazon Video, Apple TV Store, Google Play Movies, YouTube, Fandango At Home
- Buy
- Amazon Video, Apple TV Store, Google Play Movies, YouTube, Fandango At Home
Streaming options come from TMDB and change over time.
Common questions
- What is Nocturnal Animals about?
- A haunted art-world divorcee reads her former husband's violent manuscript and finds its revenge story turning the wreckage of their marriage into a nightmare of guilt, desire, and emotional punishment.
- What is Nocturnal Animals like to watch?
- Ember's analysis rates the pacing of Nocturnal Animals as measured, its intensity as strong and its storytelling as layered.
- Is Nocturnal Animals violent?
- Yes. Ember rates the violence in Nocturnal Animals as brutal.
- What did critics think of Nocturnal Animals?
- Critics broadly praised Tom Ford's assured direction, intricate story-within-a-story structure, visual style, and strong performances, while some found it excessively stylized or troubling in its treatment of violence against women.
- Which films are like Nocturnal Animals?
- Films with a similar feel include Mulholland Drive, The Night of the Hunter, The Girl with the Dragon Tattoo, and Gone Girl.
- How long is Nocturnal Animals?
- Nocturnal Animals runs 116 minutes.
- Where can I watch Nocturnal Animals?
- In United States, Nocturnal Animals streams on Peacock Premium, Peacock Premium Plus.
