Susan’s terrified reading of Edward’s novel on her red couch mirrors that image. Most notably, red is the color of the couch on which Tony’s murdered wife and daughter lie. An ominous (and red) West Texas sky foreshadows the looming danger which Tony faces and his ultimate revenge. Red represents the passion and pride of flamboyant women versus the rather cold, steel-grey life of picture-perfect Susan. Capturing all the heightened emotion of these three tales, and for dramatic contrast, Ford prolifically uses the color red.įirst, red curtains and carpet appear in the background of Susan’s junk art installation as the film begins. In his Nocturnal Animals novel, Edward reveals - through the main character, Tony - that he has overcome his weaknesses and the wrongs perpetrated upon him in the past. Susan regrets having tossed aside a creative bond with a romantic dreamer for a superficial marriage to a “handsome and dashing” businessman. The anguish of Susan’s recollection mirrors the horrific rape and murder in the novel. Ford masterfully intertwines three tales: the enactment of Edward’s novel in Susan’s mind, her anxiety-ridden reflection upon the past life with Edward, and her current unfulfilled existence. As Susan becomes engrossed in reading the draft, she symbolically experiences the devastating terror she imposed upon Edward years ago when she left the struggling writer and aborted their child. Edward dedicates the book to Susan, titling it with one of his ascribed terms for her. While Susan’s husband, Hutton (Armie Hammer), is out of town “on business” cheating on her, she reads Nocturnal Animals, a novel draft surprisingly sent to her by her ex-husband, Edward (Jake Gyllenhaal), the late-blooming author.
0 Comments
Leave a Reply. |
AuthorWrite something about yourself. No need to be fancy, just an overview. ArchivesCategories |