Anna Kendrick (Pitch Perfect) stars in and directs Woman of the Year, her directorial debut. It’s based on the true story of serial killer Rodney Alcala and his 1978 appearance on the TV show The Dating Game in the midst of his killing spree. Sheryl Bradshaw is a struggling actress, and her agent encourages her to audition for the show to gain some exposure. Alcala (played by Daniel Zovatto, Here and Now) is Bachelor #3. At the time of the show, he has murdered at least five women.
On the episode, Bachelorette Sheryl goes off script because the provided questions for the men are just plain stupid. It’s another example of the sexism she has endured trying to make it in Hollywood. The show’s host (Tony Hale, Veep) adds to the slime. Since the other two contestants are so clueless, Alcala is easily the most charming and wins the date. After the taping they go out for a drink as a preview to their Dating Game-prize date to Carmel. Sheryl quickly figures out he’s a creep and as the evening goes on it becomes apparent that he is a sexual predator.
A member of the audience recognizes Alcala as the man she saw with her friend who was later found murdered. She quickly leaves the crowd to seek help and authority. The showrunner, security guard, police, and her boyfriend all dismiss her concerns. The film’s postscript spells out the sickening parade of fatal errors in the criminal justice system that allowed Alcala to go on killing young women.
Woman of the Hour is unsettling and gets under your skin. It’s restrained, as opposed to many murder movies which gratuitously focus on the killings. The victims are acknowledged, not their deaths. With her behind the camera direction, Kendrick shows that she’s now a double threat. The film is well-paced and successfully juggles its non-linear approach. The camera work is gripping as she frames the panic on the faces of her character and the victims. It conveys the everyday anxiety of being a woman and the secret codes and looks they give each other. It’s a chilling true story that’s worth an hour and a half of your time.
(Woman of the Hour had its world premiere at the Toronto Intenational Film Festival in September 2023 and is now steaming on Netflix.)
D² Rating ◼◼◼◩☐
Trivia: Anna Kendrick is one of the few actors nominated for an Emmy, Tony, and Academy Award. For which film, starring George Clooney, was she nominated for an Oscar?
Answer: Kendrick was nominated as Best Supporting Actress for Up in the Air (2009).
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