“Mother’s not quite herself today…” That Norman Bates line from Psycho gets a new spin in this bracingly strange movie based on Rachel Yoder’s acclaimed 2021 novel. Mother (Amy Adams) used to be an artist in the big city. Now she’s just another mom in the suburbs. Her husband (Scoot McNairy) still travels widely for work, leaving Mother to feed, clothe, and amuse their toddler 24/7. Of course, she’s dog-tired. But that can’t explain the fuzziness around her neck and her tailbone… her newly acute sense of smell… or her sudden popularity with the canines in the neighbourhood… ?
Adams (who also produced) entrusted the reins to writer-director Marielle Heller (Diary of a Teenage Girl; Can You Ever Forgive Me?). A mom herself, Heller took on the assignment and ran with it. “It’s a comedy for women and a horror film for men,” she proclaims. Either way, it’s a must-see, not least for Amy Adams’ fearlessly feral performance.
Amy Adams, Scoot McNairy, Arleigh Patrick Snowden, Emmett James Snowden, Zoë Chao, Mary Holland
USA
2024
English
Book Tickets
Indigenous & Community Access
Indigenous Access Tickets Community Access Tickets Ticket Donation Requests
Credits & Director
Executive Producer
Megan Ellison, Allison Rose Carter, Havilah Brewster, Adam Paulsen, Sammy Scher, Rachel Yoder
Producer
Anne Carey, Marielle Heller, Sue Naegle, Christina Oh, Amy Adams, Stacy O’Neil
Screenwriter
Marielle Heller
Cinematography
Brandon Trost
Editor
Anne McCabe
Production Design
Karen Murphy
Original Music
Nate Heller
Marielle Heller
Marielle Heller is a filmmaker, producer, and actor who was born in Marin County, California. Her debut film, The Diary of a Teenage Girl (2015), adapted from Phoebe Gloeckner’s graphic novel, premiered at Sundance and won the Grand Prix at the Berlin International Film Festival. She later directed Can You Ever Forgive Me? (2018) and A Beautiful Day in the Neighborhood (2019). Nightbitch is her latest film.
Filmography: The Diary of a Teenage Girl (2015); Can You Ever Forgive Me? (2018); A Beautiful Day in the Neighborhood (2019)
Missing VIFF? Check out what's playing at the VIFF Centre
Franz
Veteran Polish filmmaker Agnieszka Holland takes the bull by the horns to craft a Kafka biopic that's Kafkaesque and then some, artfully layering scenes from Kafka's life and works along with ironic present-day footage for a truly surreal counterpoint.
Late Fame
Based on a novella by Arthur Schnitzler (Eyes Wide Shut) this is a sly, poignant comedy about vanity and art from director Kent Jones, starring Willem Dafoe as a mailman belatedly acclaimed for a book of poetry he wrote in his youth.
Mary Oliver: Saved by the Beauty of the World
Sasha Waters' documentary takes us through the life of America's best-selling late twentieth century poet, a private woman who shared her innermost thoughts and made them indispensable.
American Doctor
One of the most powerful documentaries of the year, this puts us smack in the open wound that is Gaza, filtered through the eyes of three American surgeons (of Palestinian, Jewish and Zoroastrian backgrounds) compelled to do their utmost to alleviate harm.
Election
Tracy Flick (Reece Witherspoon) is running for Student President, but Mr. McAllister (Matthew Broderick) has other ideas... This remarkably sour millennial comedy from Alexander Payne (The Holdovers; Sideways; The Descendents) hits twice as hard today.
Memory of Princess Mumbi
In 2093, a filmmaker arrives in the African village of Umata, where he meets Princess Mumbi, a woman torn between love, legacy, and the future of storytelling. It's a fabulous genre-blending fable about memory, invention and cinematic resistance.