Entry #8: Nocturnal Animals

     Hello, reader.

    Today, I will be discussing not a topic, but a movie! In fact, one of my most beloved movies. If you have never seen Nocturnal Animals with Jake Gyllenhaal and Amy Adams, you are missing out!

    The synopsis goes: Our main character of the movie is Susan, a wealthy woman who feels herself slowly becoming more miserable; her passion for her work is dying, her husband is cheating on her, and she is falling into bankruptcy. After receiving a book from her ex-husband, Edward (an aspiring writer), she starts to reflect on her past relationship with him. Over the course of the film, we see events from the book unfold on the screen. The book's characters are a family of three that are out on the road; they are pulled over by a group of men, who all eventually end up assaulting and murdering the protagonist's wife and daughter. The book is clearly about grief, as the protagonist tries to cope with his loss and redeem himself for not being able to protect his family. As Susan reads Edward's book, flashbacks of their marriage are revealed.

    In the beginning, like any relationship, Susan and Edward were happy together. Their marriage starts to fall apart once Susan starts rethinking their future together. Susan's mother had made her disapprovement of their marriage known, due to Edward's endless dreams of being a writer and his background of coming from a working-class home. Susan's doubts are sealed once she meets another a man, her current husband. She divorces Edward to marry the other man, however, he attempts to hold onto what they have left. Susan refuses him by saying that she is a realist, while Edward is a dreamer. Susan eventually finds out that she is pregnant with, presumably, Edward's baby. Without informing him, she gets an abortion; but Edward ends up finding out what she has done. Afterwards, he cuts ties with Susan and never speaks to her again.

    Edward's book ends with the protagonist getting justice for his family, but also killing himself in the process. Susan is deeply moved by the story, despite her disinterest in Edward's writing in the past. She decides to contact Edward and ask if he would want to have dinner. Edward agrees, causing Susan to dress lavishly for their meeting. While getting ready, she takes off her wedding ring. Finally, when Susan arrives, Edward is nowhere to be seen. Susan waits for hours, but Edward never arrives.

    At surface-level, the movie may seem confusing. We get to see the interesting, sorrowful storyline of the book; contrasted by the drama-filled and miserable thing that is Susan's life. This is intentional, as Edward's writing is made to be compelling. We are drawn to the story, to finding out what happens next. In a way, we are viewing his book exactly as how Susan is. Previously, she was completely disinterested in his work, as she could never find the sincerity behind it. Now, Edward has proven his skill; his book will finally make his writing career take off. However, there is a reason why Edward's writing is now genuine and appealing; Edward's book parallels that of his relationship with Susan.

    Edward sending the book to Susan is not because he wants to reconnect with her, but because he has formulated into words how their relationship felt like to him, and how it has impacted him. The book's protagonist lost his wife and child, Edward has lost his wife and an unborn child. The book's protagonist grieves by finding the culprits, Edward grieves by writing his book. The book's protagonist is killed by his quest for revenge, the dreamer in Edward has also been killed. Edward's actions were not to reach out to Susan; they were to make her feel the agony and embarrassment that he once felt. It is why he stands her up at the restaurant, as he wants nothing to do with her ever again. Nocturnal Animals is not a story about Susan, it is a story about Edward. Susan does not get to win or be happy; she is the both the murderer and the dead wife of Edward. The viewer does not root for Susan, but roots for Edward. Edward, in his success, revenge, and his dreams finally being fulfilled. Susan's side of the story may be shown, but at the end of the film, when the realization sets in that she been stood up, you cannot help that Edward is victorious.

    I love this film because at its core, it is a revenge film. Many have experienced the loss and heartbreak that comes from a bad breakup. Edward's book not only presents that kind of heartbreak cleverly, but makes it so that it is hard to digest what goes on in the film at times. He does amazingly what a writer should do; make the viewer feel. Susan is so involved in Edward's writing that it all appears incredibly vivid. While both sides have endured some kind of blow, Nocturnal Animals is about the closure of and aftermath of a dissolved relationship. We see all the events unfold through Susan's eyes, yet it is Edward's story that we see through his book. From his story, the viewer can conclude that the breakup was messy, torturous, agonizing, and soul-crushing. Edward may get his revenge, yet there is no changing the fact that the dreamer in him has been lost. In the end, Susan will continue to face her miseries, and Edward will have his successful writing career; but a part of him will still be dead.