NOCTURNAL ANIMALS (2016)—I left my heart in Prada, Marfa.

Cinema of Cruelty (Movies for Masochists)

On this week’s annotated deep dive, The Cultists present Tom Ford’s ‘Nocturnal Animals’ (2016). The sophomore film by fashion industry icon Tom Ford, on its surface, “Nocturnal” is a gorgeous technical showcase of Ford’s skills behind the camera. Which is why it comes as much more of a surprise that, for a film so beautiful, the core of Nocturnal Animals is all about the ugly underbelly of humanity and the savage destructive process of creation. Adapted from the 1993 novel “Tony and Susan” by Austin Wright, Nocturnal is essentially three stories in one that, when woven together, explore the boundaries of life, art, and the odd liminal overlap that inevitably bleeds between the pages. A space that if sharpened just right can ensnare and gut everything in its wake.

Topics include: comparisons between Ford’s film and Wright’s novel. Tom Ford’s fashion vs. film career; the not-so-hidden objects and symbols that tie the multiple stories within the film together; the art of “Texas justice” vs. postmodern revenge; and that amazingly esoteric, blink-and-you’ll-miss -it Prada, Marfa reference.

Episode Safeword: “Romanticism” (capital R)