• Director: Marielle Heller
• Screenplay: Marielle Heller
• Cast: Amy Adams, Scoot McNairy, Zoe Chao, Mary Holland, Ella Thomas, Archana Rajan, Jessica Harper
• Cinematography: Brandon Trost
• Editing: Anne McCabe
• Score: Nate Heller
• Genre: Black comedy
• Runtime: 98 minutes

An unnamed mother (Amy Adams) to a messy 2 year-old boy wrestles with her feelings of inadequacy in her current situation; by becoming a mum, she’s had to give up her fruitful career as an artist. Could she have her cake and eat it? It doesn’t seem like that was an option; she has a husband, but he’s frequently away on work trips. Thus, she no longer feels her creative juices flowing, or even recognises who she is anymore. So far, so normal. One night though, she spots white hair growing on her back. Her teeth are sharper, and her sense of smell is heightened – she is literally transforming into a dog. Seriously.

The premise makes it sound way dafter than it actually is. I mean, it is often barking mad – I sat, mouth agape, as six-time Oscar nominee Adams dug a hole in her garden with her bare hands. Or when she growled at people in an upmarket restaurant. It’s a fearless performance, a round of a-paws to her for taking on such a bold and bizarre project, and having the confidence to deliver the line: “I could crush a walnut with my vagina.” without bursting into hysterics.

With Marielle Heller’s (the brilliant ‘Can You Ever Forgive Me?‘) skilful direction, it doesn’t end up as a dog’s dinner; it embraces the wacky concept with gusto. Thematically, it deals with motherhood and the notion of femininity head-on, celebrating women as life-givers, as the strongest of beings. The whole canine element turns the hackneyed ‘frazzled mother’ trope on its head, with many comic moments. It’s fur-fetched, but with meaning. We’re all animals deep down under the skin amidst the trappings of human life.

As the Helen Reddy song goes: “I am woman, hear me roar.” Well, in this case, growl.

My rating: 7 / 10