It’s been a big weekend for dark comedy movies, with both Y2K and Nightbitch hitting theaters on Dec. 6. The former takes place back in 1999, meanwhile the latter is a present-day story based on Rachel Yoder’s 2021 novel. Marielle Heller directs the new arrival, which stars Amy Adams as an artist turned stay-at-home mother two years after the birth of her son. Scoot McNairy plays her oblivious husband, who is shocked when his wife reaches a breaking point and asks for a separation.
While he feels unobligated to support her in parenting their child, Adams’ unnamed character spirals further into delusions that see her seemingly transitioning into a dog as she loses her identity to motherhood. Spoilers for the ending of Nightbitch (which has just a 59% ranking on Rotten Tomatoes at the time of writing) lie ahead, so stop reading now if you want to finish the movie or book first!
Does Mother Ever Actually Turn Into a Dog?
As Screen Rant notes, Mother’s transition from woman to beast is a metaphor for the life transitions she’s been navigating. Viewers see Adams’ character growling and eating out of a bowl as if she were an animal, but this is to personify the “feral side of motherhood,” as the outlet puts it. The physical changes to Mother’s body as she raises her child, such as patches of fur, sharper teeth and new nipples are directly reflective of changes in the feminine form both post-pregnancy and with age. It’s interesting to note that, while we never learn her real name, all the other women introduced through Nightbitch are clearly identified, nodding to Adams’ total loss of identity.
What Does the End of ‘Nightbitch’ Mean?
The comedy film includes numerous monologues from its lead character, although the closing one might be her most powerful. After taking some distance from her husband and establishing her need to be recognized as a human outside of motherhood, we see Adams and McNairy’s characters reconcile their family. During their period of separation, she was able to pour into her career as an artist, resulting in the grand showcase that she dedicated to the fellow moms she met along the way, all going through transformative and inspiring experiences of their own.
After the emotional display, Mother returns home to ponder if this is what life is like in the animal kingdom. “Because her happiness comes from within and is not a product of society, this makes her – in her eyes – an animal,” Screen Rant explains. She’s found the work-life balance she’s been craving and has a new community of women surrounding her. With this empowerment guiding her, the final moments of Nightbitch show Adams in the midst of naturally birthing a baby girl as her husband cheers her on.
Overall, Heller’s movie is a twisted, comedic reminder that leaving women to sacrifice their needs to be mothers only perpetuates cycles of self-sacrifice and generational trauma. Through taking a step back and choosing herself, Nightbitch‘s main character is able to connect with the community she so desperately craved, repair her relationship with her husband and realize what a blessing it is to be able to bear children. It takes a village to rear a fruitful family, and sometimes the best way to remember that is by looking outside of the human race.
The post ‘Nightbitch’ Ending Explained: Amy Adams’ Dark Comedy Is All About Feral Femininity appeared first on Blavity.
