Last night, a giddy audience gathered in the historic Englert Theatre, its marquee beautifully illuminating their entrance, for opening night of the third annual Refocus Film Festival. Onstage, Andrew Sherburne and Programming Director Ben Delgado expressed their gratitude for all who made the festival possible and shared some backstory on their efforts to screen Marielle Heller’s latest film, Nightbitch (in theaters Dec. 6). After all, how can you pass up on the perfect opportunity to say, “It’s opening night, bitch!”
Seated in the back, my view was a lovely glimpse into the frenetic energy of a full house, eagerly anticipating the adaptation of local author Rachel Yoder’s 2021 novel. It truly was a great crowd, one that never hesitated to cheer during the introduction. Even after the lights dimmed, within minutes, they were in uproar, tickled by Nightbitch’s immediate comedic streak.
In the spirit of adaptation, Heller, both the director and screenwriter, went the route of narration as Amy Adams’ “Mother” struggles with suburban repression by talking aloud to herself. Or, she imagines spilling her guts — figuratively speaking, since she’d much rather stuff her face in animalistic liberation — confessing her shame and rage to other women. But of course, she can’t reveal how she feels, so only we are privy to her cravings. Adams, as always, shines, brilliantly balancing the sentimentality, suffering and humor the script demands. Speaking to Heller’s screenwriting and Yoder’s authorial prowess, Mother’s inner monologue is ripe with incredibly resonant and biting reflections on aging and womanhood.
The film never really settles on a genre, oscillating between comedy and drama, between husband and wife, and surreal frenzy. Nightbitch heavily leans into the absurdity of its situation, hardly wasting time before Mother notices her corporeal changes. But because it doesn’t fully commit to body horror, these surreal elements feel a bit rushed and disjunct with the unfolding of the story. While you could argue this genre blend adds to the narrative’s themes of metamorphosis, of not fitting neatly into any categories of identity, the editing and pacing can’t seem to get the firmest grasp on what’s being presented, leaving us with some awkward moments and lead-ins. Scenes feel half-baked, the elements within them not allowed to simmer for long enough. The gimmick doesn’t always land, and Mother’s boiling point doesn’t come off as strong.
Nightbitch settles into itself in its second half. It’s oddly more fluid once it follows narrative conventions and re-positions Mother to interact with the people around her. In revealing her darkest, yet sympathetic, emotions to “Father” and the other moms, Mother is able to find the artist she stuffed so deep inside herself that she thought might have died. When dogs show up on your doorstep, you don’t bite the hand that feeds your creativity. The artwork Yoder describes in her novel, and that’s recreated in the film, was crafted by visual artist Lee Emma Running, whom Yoder met at the University of Iowa. It is exquisite, and really amplifies the ocular language of an otherwise visually undaring film. Smaller replicas of the work, as well as another sculpture by Running, are on display at the Chauncey, which audiences flocked to for the afterparty.
Writer Emily Yoshida, who is also from Iowa City, hosted the Q&A with Yoder following the screening. The crowd relished hearing about the real locations that inspired the scenes in the book and film. Yoder also shared that her family was in the audience, and it was her 10-year-old son’s first time seeing the film. At one point, he leaned over and asked, “Was being a mom really this hard?”
Yoder overall spoke fondly of Iowa City. “I’ve been a lot of different people here, arriving a graduate student, becoming a wife, then a mother and now an author … This is the place I want to be.”
Stay tuned for more Refocus coverage
For the next few days, I’ll be doing a wrap-up of my Refocus experience. With 30 films and several events, one of which I will be moderating, I won’t be able to cover every single event the stacked fest has to offer, but you can visit the full Refocus schedule to try and fill in the gaps! Follow along for more brief reviews and coverage of this spirited weekend in Iowa City.
