One of the advantages of being a male of the species – admittedly one of many – is the fact that we don’t have to endure childbirth.

Of course many say that it’s a magical experience, but who are they trying to kid, there’s nothing magical about pushing something the size of a bowling ball through a slit the size of a small letterbox.

Offering one take on motherhood is this effort by US writer and director Marielle Heller, based as it is on Rachel Yoder’s 2021 debut novel Nightbitch.

Having put her vocation as an artist on hold, Mother (Amy Adams) has decided to be that stay at home mom to her young son (Arleigh and Emmett Snowden), whilst her husband (Scoot McNairy) goes off to work.

Unfortunately his job means he has to be away on business a lot, leaving Mother on her own with child, 24/7. This gives her more than ample opportunity to contemplate her role as a mother, and whether or not it was everything she imagined it to be.

At the same time, she starts to become aware of changes to her body, which includes odd growth of body hair, and an intense sense of smell. Has the act of given birth triggered this on-going transformation, and if so, what will she become?

There’s no denying child birth and motherhood, especially with infants and young children, is incredibly hard work, and you certainly get a sense of that here. Adam’s Mother is a figure who, like many in her position, starts to think that perhaps they had bitten off more than they could chew with this having a baby lark. It doesn’t help that her husband is away, and when he is there, is mostly ineffective. So far, so living up to a stereotype.

And that’s the main problem with the film, it’s both preaching to the choir, as well as telling us what everyone already knows about childbirth – yes, even men. It’s a lot of hard work, both physically and mentally for the parents, and it’s fair to say that the mother is likely to do more of the heavy lifting when it comes to parenting, that’s a given.

But then there’s this metaphor of an animal instinct kicking into motherhood, which is where the bitch in the title comes into play. It just feels a little clumsy on screen, with Heller adopting an almost Teen Wolf approach, in being a little playfully dark as well as literal when the mother character turns into a dog.

You can appreciate the visual quality of it, but ultimately it’s not very subtle. And because of that, the film struggles with maintaining a suitable tone, which really screws with the rhythm of the piece.

The performances are perfunctory, but nothing more than that, with the exception of the young son role, which sees the brothers deliver a pleasingly natural take, as expected considering their age.

As much as the film attempts a creative angle for this subject matter, as odd as it may be, the end take away is sadly nothing new or groundbreaking - that motherhood is a real bitch.