'Motherhood is a bitch,' says the poster for Nightbitch, a comedy-horror film directed by Marielle Heller that could lead Amy Adams back to the Oscar. Nightbitch is an adaptation of the novel of the same name by Rachel Yoder. In it we follow a woman who is forced to put her career on hold to raise a child at home. This routine slowly leads her to embrace the wild power ingrained in motherhood: she seems to be turning into a canine.
While this strange premise of “woman starts turning into a dog” provoked some mockery on social networks, we can never doubt the talent of Marielle Heller, in charge of directing and adapting this project. All three films directed by Heller have been outstanding (The Diary of a Teenage Girl, Can You Ever Forgive Me? and A Beautiful Day in the Neighborhood), so there is every reason to have faith in this film.
Another sign that Nightbitch could be a big deal heading into Oscar 2025 is that Searchlight Pictures will release it on December 6 in the United States, right in the heart of awards season. The film was going to arrive directly to Hulu's streaming platform, but something must have convinced the prolific distributor to change strategy and bring it to theaters: could it be because of Amy Adams' performance?
The industry has been clamoring for an Oscar for Amy Adams, who has received six nominations but has yet to lift the trophy; her last nomination was for Vice in 2019. Heller's last two films received Oscar acting nominations - Melissa McCarthy and Richard E. Grant for Can You Ever Forgive Me? and Tom Hanks for A Beautiful Day in the Neighborhood. Amy Adams could extend this streak.
