Woman of the Hour Review

It must be tough enough trying to make an impact as a first-time feature film director, but when you’re an actor transitioning to behind the camera, there is almost a sense of having to prove something more to audiences.

For Anna Kendrick, who often throughout her career brought moviegoers much joy through the Pitch Perfect franchise, and more recently taking dramatic turns showcasing her range as a performer in projects like Alice, Darling, her statement as a filmmaker is well and truly made in the tense, unflinching and utterly fascinating thriller, Woman of the Hour.

With Kendrick directing a screenplay from Ian McDonald, Woman of the Hour is based on the unsettling true story of serial killer Rodney Alcala (played by Daniel Zovatto in this film), who during a killing spree in the late 1970s, appeared on the reality television gameshow, The Dating Game. Also appearing on the show is aspiring actress, Sheryl Bradshaw (Kendrick), who has reluctantly resorted to appearing on the show in the hopes of igniting her acting career.

McDonald’s screenplay intercuts the taping of The Dating Game, which was fully recreated for the film, with the storylines of Rodney and Sheryl leading up to their fateful meeting. The tension begins is ever rising crash course as we watch Rodney, who is hauntingly portrayed by a very charismatically off-putting performance from Zovatto, use his natural charm and allure to murder young women across the United States.

However, the true message Kendrick and McDonald are propelling through the screen, using the foundation of Rodney’s story, is the misogyny towards women in the television industry. An early audition scene shows two casting directors claiming Sheryl isn’t “passionate” enough for a role because she wasn’t willing to do nudity. And this is a point on exacerbated through the role ofEd Burke (Tony Hale), the toxic host of The Dating Game who exclaim Sheryl as a c-word when she takes some power back on the show due to the sexist line of questioning, she is forced to give, just for a few cheap laughs.

It shouldn’t be downplayed that there is also a strong sense from Kendrick that the threat of violence against women in the form of Rodeny Alcala is just as genuine and important but using a true to life serial killer story to highlight even more misogyny in the far less violent setting of Hollywood only hammers home the point this film is trying to make.

The scenes of Rodney murdering women are brutal and upsetting, and Kendrick’s direction doesn’t shy away from ramping up the tension in a visceral way, forcing the audience to feel completely unsafe up until the horrible acts are committed. These scenes feel even more off-putting when they’re also preceded by the unassuming charm of Zovatto’s performance., which quickly fades away with just the look in the eye as the murderous intent begins to consume the space.

Halfway through the film, another character is introduced in Laura (Nicolette Robinson), who is in the audience at the taping of The Dating Game and recognises Rodney as someone who was at a party where her friend later was murdered. Her scenes are sporadic throughout the film, and while they add to the overall tension, it’s in these moments where the main issue of the film lies. Woman of the Hour does feel like there are a few too many things happening, and those storylines are stretched out to the maximum limit, often not feeling like they’re resolved properly. There is a short film quality to each separate event, despite their linkage too each other, and that disjointed feel can at times falter the immersion into this story.

Woman of the Hour is an unflinching and tense directorial debut from Anna Kendrick, who uses a haunting recollection of a true serial killer story to make a strong statement regarding misogyny, both in and out of Hollywood. Kendrick’s ability to ramp up the tension is even more brought to life by an unsettling performance from Daniel Zovatto, that will undoubtedly have the hairs on the back of your neck standing.

Woman of the Hour is streaming on Netflix from October 18.

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Nick L'Barrow
Nick L'Barrow
Nick is a Brisbane-based film/TV reviewer. He gained his following starting with his 60 second video reviews of all the latest releases on Instagram (@nicksflicksfix), before launching a monthly podcast with Peter Gray called Monthly Movie Marathon. Nick contributes to Novastream with interviews and reviews for the latest blockbusters.

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