Seven years after making his directorial debut with the critically acclaimed “A Single Man,” fashion designer – turned film director Tom Ford is back with “Nocturnal Animals.”<br /><br /> Ford’s psychological thriller stars Amy Adams as Susan, a gallery owner who thinks her ex-husband’s (Jake Gyllenhaal) violent novel is in fact a veiled threat and a symbolic revenge tale.<br /><br /> Ford, who also wrote the screenplay and produced the film, believes he was very fortunate to get the actors he wanted cast: “I like enhanced reality. When I watch a film I want the people to be more beautiful than in real life, I want everything to be slightly exaggerated and Amy was the very first actor, who I was lucky enough, to attach to the project…” <br /><br /> “This woman is reading a book for a good part of the film and Amy is able to really telegraph what she’s feeling and thinking with her face and with her eyes. I also wanted her character to be sympathetic and there’s something about Amy’s eyes that you just can not feel for her,” added Ford.<br /><br /> By exploring Susan recollections of her first marriage and her discovery of hidden truths about herself, the film takes the viewer on a trip from the past to the present, mixing the story of the novel with the celluloid reality.<br /><br /> Adams says at first she found it hard to get into her character’s head: “ I loved the idea that Tom had of traveling through present and past and story and reality. And I loved the idea that he had of sort of consequences of actions and how we then live with our consequences. But, I have to admit, when I first started working on Susan, I felt very distant from her and I wasn’t sure how I was going to sort of get into her. Then I realised that everything that I was judging her about, she’s judging herself about, so I was able to sort of use my own preconceived notions about the character and use that as a starting point.”<br /><br /> “Nocturnal Animals”, which also stars also stars Michael Shannon and Aaron Taylor-Johnson, has received glowing reviews since winning the Silver Lion at this year’s Venice Film Festival. <br /><br /> The movie is on staggered release across Europe from mid-November.<br />
