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This feminist fable of a stressed-out suburban mom who believes she鈥檚 turning into a dog is filled with eye-popping images of a woman running wild at night in her neighbourhood.

She鈥檚 frequently nude, caked in mud and blood, leading a pack of local hounds as they hunt smaller animals for food and sport. There鈥檚 a least one graphic scene in the book that, had it been shown on the big screen, would likely have provoked pet lovers to angrily exit the theatre.

That鈥檚 the novel version of 鈥淣ightbitch,鈥� a frequently horrifying allegory of female rage. The movie, which had its world premiere Saturday night at the 海角社区官网International Film Festival, is something else entirely.

It鈥檚 more of a dark comedy, with significantly less nudity and gore, representing a major tonal shift by writer-director Marielle Heller.

She鈥檚 tamed this tale without neutering it, an impressive feat that鈥檚 also a necessary one for a film aimed at a mainstream audience rather than an anything-goes Midnight Madness crowd.

As she鈥檚 illustrated with such previous works as 鈥淭he Diary of a Teenage Girl鈥� and 鈥淐an You Ever Forgive Me?鈥� Heller focuses on interior character development rather than exterior showiness.

Taking this esthetic to 鈥淣ightbitch鈥� makes the story more human and relatable, aided mightily by an Oscar-worthy performance by Amy Adams as Mother, the anodyne name given to the character by Yoder that Heller retains. (Mother鈥檚 spouse, played well by Scoot McNairy, is called Husband; the couple鈥檚 two-year-old boy child, played by twin brothers Arleigh Patrick Snowden and Emmett James Snowden is called Son.)

Mother used to be an artist and gallery operator before her pregnancy, a woman known for taking risks. Now she鈥檚 the opposite of avant-garde, caring for her demanding kid 鈥� there鈥檚 a reason they call his age the Terrible Twos 鈥� as she鈥檚 locked into a deadening routine of fried and boiled meals and unsatisfying naps.

Exhaustion is on her face rather than makeup, but it鈥檚 not noticed by Husband, who is barely ever at home 鈥� his job keeps him constantly on the road. When Mother complains, Husband condescends to her by telling her 鈥渉appiness is a choice,鈥� which prompts responses both furious and agreeable from her (Heller lets us guess which one is real).

Mother tries to beat the monotony by going to the local library鈥檚 Book Babies club, where she meets an amusing group of fellow moms: Type 鈥淎鈥� mommy Jen (Z枚e Chao), former stripper Miriam (Mary Holland) and the very pregnant (yet again) Liz (Archana Rajan).

They鈥檙e filled with comradeship and commiseration for Mother. But Mother, a bit of a snob, doesn鈥檛 really enjoy their company. They can鈥檛 fill the void in her life, familiar to many women, caused by having forgotten who she was as she transformed into someone she doesn鈥檛 recognize.

This feeling accelerates as the film shifts to magic realism, or something like that. Mother discovers she鈥檚 growing a tail, acquiring additional nipples and sharper teeth. She also has an insatiable craving for red meat that she鈥檚 not afraid to satisfy in public in the film鈥檚 funniest moments.

Mother, in short, suspects she鈥檚 going canine, morphing into the Nightbitch of the title. Her suspicions seem validated when the town鈥檚 mysterious librarian, Norma (Jessica Harper), gives her a book titled 鈥淭he Field Guide to Mystical Women鈥� that opens to Mother a world of magical females.

Night prowls await her 鈥� a real dog named Juno illustrates them 鈥� but are they more of the mind than the body?

There鈥檚 ample material here to go in a purely allegorical direction, as the novel tends to do. Heller prefers a more realistic story, one that will resonate with the audience, especially moms who are all too aware of the rigours and sacrifices of child-rearing.

Dads, too, although many of them will wince with recognition at the scene where Mother scolds Husband for referring to parenting as 鈥渂abysitting.鈥� (Note how she has a parental handle while he has a spousal one.)

McNairy鈥檚 bewildered Husband begins as clueless and distant as the one in the novel, but he and Heller make him much more of a redeemable figure. With a wife going feral from frustration and tedium, can he find a way to become a better spouse and father?

鈥淣ightbitch鈥� is primarily Adams鈥� off-leash opportunity and she runs away with it, likely all the way to the next Academy Awards with her almost guaranteed seventh Oscar nomination.

But Heller鈥檚 determination to make this more of a family tale than the novel, along with McNairy鈥檚 simpatico acting, turn the movie version of 鈥淣ightbitch鈥� into a sleek beast of a different breed.