SYNOPSIS: Based on true events, “Woman of the Hour,” a new thriller directed by and starring Anna Kendrick, and now playing in theatres, is a look at structural misogyny through the lens of a true crime story.
CAST: Anna Kendrick, Cheryl Bradshaw, Daniel Zovatto, Rodney Alcala, Nicolette Robinson, Kathryn Gallagher, Tony Hale. Directed by Anna Kendrick.
REVIEW: Anna Kendrick makes a sensational, but never sensationalized directorial debut with the taut true crime thriller “Woman of the Hour.”
The story of dead-eyed serial killer Rodney Alcala, played with malevolent mystery by Daniel Zovatto, becomes less the story of a cold-blooded murderer (who may have killed as many as 130 women) and more about chauvinism, misogyny and power dynamics.
Kendrick balances these big themes with several stories that dovetail together to form a whole. Told on a broken timeline as the action jumps around in chronology, we learn that Alcala preys on women, mostly runaways, drifters and those with no connection to their community, all women who won’t be immediately missed; that Cheryl Bradshaw (Kendrick) is a wannabe actress who says, “I’m working very hard but accomplishing very little,” and that Laura’s (Nicolette Robinson) accusations against Alcala in the rape and murder of her friend went unheard.
When Cheryl is booked to appear on “The Dating Game,” her agent assures her it will be good for her career. After all, Sally Field once appeared on the show and look how well she’s doing. The set up is simple, she’ll ask three “bachelors” a series of questions, and at the end of the show, choose one of them to go on a date.
Trouble is, one of them is an idiot, one’s a sexist, and the other is a predator named Alcala.
By the time the movie gets to the cheesy gameshow section Kendrick, the director, has already ramped up the tension and, in an exchange between Cheryl and the show’s make-up artists, established her theme. As she powders Cheryl’s face the make-up artist tells her the most important question to consider when choose one of the men: “Which one of you won’t hurt me?”
It’s a stark moment amid the kitschy, candy-coloured game show set, and even though screenwriter Ian McDonald has taken considerable liberties with the facts while weaving this story together, the depiction of institutional misogyny—whether it is game show host Ed (Tony Hale) openly discussing Cheryl’s figure with crew members or Cheryl’s “nice-guy” neighbor (Pete Holmes) making a clumsy pass at her or Alcala’s victimization of women—the movie hits some hard truths.
“Women of the Hour” is an exciting directorial debut. The wit and timing Kendrick displays as a performer easily translates to her work behind the camera as she confidently, in a tight 90 minutes, navigates the film’s tricky structure to create an almost unbearable feeling of tension.
