Tom Ford
Animali Notturni

Revenge is a dish best served cold, in the most elegant and subtle way possible, without any remorse. Often, revenge serves as a cure for those who pursue it, a sort of gateway to a new life that only returning the wrong to its source can offer. For others, however, revenge is merely a promise made to oneself and one they wish to keep at all costs, fully aware of its futility. Two sides of the same coin, in short, with the common goal of carrying out a specific act. It does not matter how long it will take, nor the consequences.

"Nocturnal Animals" is the second feature film by the acclaimed designer Tom Ford, who, after "A Single Man," decides to dive back into cinema. With a cast of absolute esteem (Jake Gyllenhaal, Amy Adams, Aaron-Taylor Johnson, Michael Shannon), with excellently curated cinematography and a screenplay that is anything but trivial, Ford is ready to immerse us in this new experience. And let me tell you... it is a beautiful experience. But what is this "Nocturnal Animals" about? Susan (Amy Adams), a very important art gallery owner, receives a package from her ex-husband Edward (a superb Jake Gyllenhaal), containing a novel he was writing, asking her to read it and give her opinion. The book is ambiguous, violent, harrowing, and excessive... and on the first page, there is a dedication "For Susan." That book was dedicated to her, and reading it provokes in Susan contrasting emotions and revives terrible memories, memories that she had tried to bury in every way and are resurrected by the pages of the novel. Tom Ford presents us with a devastating work, a piece that tells us from the outset in no uncertain terms that there will be no happy ending, no conclusion that allows us to smile. This film strips the viewer bare, plays with their emotions, conducts a self-examination of those watching, the same self-examination to which the film's protagonist is subjected. "And if it happened to me?" was the question I repeatedly asked myself during the viewing, recognizing Ford’s accurately targeted goal of creating empathy between viewer and characters. Raw, devastating, and yet damnably fascinating.

From a technical point of view, the film is a joy for the eyes. Direction and cinematography immerse the viewer in the work in the best possible way, providing splendid shots that manage to be raw, violent, and at the same time, fascinating and decadent (see the "sofa in the desert" scene). Performances are of the highest level by all the cast members, with a special applause to Aaron-Taylor Johnson who particularly steals the scene in the film’s crucial moments. Gyllenhaal is simply outstanding (as always) and Adams and Shannon appear perfectly believable in their respective characters. A dramatic and decadent soundtrack accompanies everything to perfection until the end, where revenge arrives. The ending, much discussed, is damnably perfect and suited to the context leaving a sense of emptiness to the viewer, emptiness that could only be filled if there were the possibility to go back in time and correct one’s mistakes.

I conclude with this simple, but powerful phrase from the film...

"You should be careful when you fall in love because it might not happen again..."