Mother has paused her career as an artist to become a stay-at-home mom for her two-year-old son. Because her husband is away on work trips most of the time, she is responsible for the majority of the caregiving for the boy. Feeling isolated from her artistic identity and resentful of what she sees as the expectation to be friends with other mothers, she frequently fantasizes about lashing out at those around her. She begins to experience surreal physical changes, including patches of fur on her body, the growth of a tail and additional nipples, and heightened senses. Although she initially dismisses these developments as symptoms of emotional stress and perimenopause, she soon becomes convinced that she is turning into a dog.
She begins to dream about her childhood in a Mennonite society, including memories of her mother running on all fours and concocting stews with unusual ingredients. Seeking understanding, Mother goes to the library to check out a book about mythical transformations, reinforcing her belief in her metamorphosis. Embracing her new identity, she adopts increasingly canine behaviors, finding liberation from societal expectations and a renewal of her artistic passions. She has her son play with dogs, eat from dog bowls and sleep in a dog bed, which calms him down and allows her to sleep through the night as she envisions herself transforming into a dog to run free. During these transformations, she kills small animals, including the family's pet cat.
When her husband questions these developments, Mother lashes out at him over his insensitivity to her needs; he responds by telling her that he is disappointed in her for shutting him out. They agree to a trial separation while she works on an art project. Mother realizes that her mother also could transform into a dog, and that her son's rebellious and willful nature indicates that she has passed the animal trait to her son.
The separation allows Mother to harmonize her animalistic and artistic identities. Eventually the family is reunited. Mother gives birth to her second child, a daughter.
In March 2022, filming was scheduled to begin in the fall of that year.[8] In May, Searchlight Pictures acquired distribution rights from Annapurna for $25 million, winning out from five other bidders.[9] At this time, Heller's involvement was officially confirmed. Christina Oh, Adam Paulsen, and Heller had boarded the film as producers, while Scher moved to executive producer with Havilah Brewster.[10] In June 2022, Scoot McNairy joined the film.[11][12] Production was intended to begin in September 2022 in Los Angeles.[13] It began in October 2022, with the announcement that Ella Thomas had joined the cast.[14][15] In October 2022, Mary Holland joined the cast.[16]Zoë Chao was also confirmed to be in the cast.[17]
On the review aggregator website Rotten Tomatoes, 59% of 197 critics' reviews are positive, with an average rating of 6/10. The website's consensus reads: "As far as adaptations go, Nightbitch packs more bark than bite as the stellar Amy Adams takes on motherhood and the neighborhood in a rather conventional romp."[23]Metacritic, which uses a weighted average, assigned the film a score of 56 out of 100, based on 52 critics, indicating "mixed or average" reviews.[24]
