Finally got to watch Tom Ford’s ravishing film ‘Nocturnal Animals’. His film debut ‘A Single Man’ had a profound impact on me and my life ever since I watched it at the cinemas on my 21st birthday. ‘Nocturnal Animals’ is a marked departure from that film, as it is almost unbearably dark, cruel and cynical, unlike the tragic but uplifting romance that ‘A Single Man’ was. It many ways the film explores cynicism itself, in the LA art world full of beauty but unhappiness and in the death of a relationship which becomes a metaphor for a fictional story intertwined in the movie. The message is murky but from what I can piece together: love is precious and revenge hurts all involved. I admit that despite the violence and shock of the story and the cruelty of the ending I felt it lacked a sense of urgency or significance. Tom Ford is a master of the visual. Even when the film doesn’t flow or the dialogue is choppy, every scene is ravishingly beautiful. Your aesthetic soul will be well fed by this film but if you are looking for something more than a sad tale of revenge the film doesn’t quite deliver. And also I love Amy Adams, first the excellent ‘Arrival’ and now her sickly slick turn in ‘Nocturnal Animals’ she is one of the most versatile and empathetic actors working today.

8/10 ***1/2