Woman of the Hour Review

Anna Kendrick has certainly made an effort to try different things in recent years. She's made money making movies about singing and dancing trolls, but she's also branched out into the world of drama, giving her best performance in Alice, Darling (2022), a story about domestic violence, and is returning with Woman of the Hour. Kendrick returns to the dangers of a predatory man, with Kendrick at the helm and making her directorial debut with this story about serial killer Rodney Alcala and his obsession with tormenting female victims. It's a full-blown crime novel with plenty of interesting perspectives in Ian MacDonald's script, and Kendrick confidently studies the extraordinary threats and frustrations through the female experience, performing well especially in the moments of tension. While not graphic, Woman of the Hour is a powerful piece that evokes true cinematic horror while depicting the real-life story of an unscrupulous man and his smooth-talking tone.

Rodney (Daniel Zovatto) is a serial killer who roams Los Angeles with a camera, searching for vulnerable, good-looking and easy-going women to pick up. He is a brutal man who strangled his victims, resuscitated them, and then wants to strangle them again. He collects a collection of murders, which he documents in photographs. Cheryl (Anna Kendrick) is an aspiring actress in LA who is having no luck, but becomes increasingly disillusioned with the industry as her dreams begin to fade. Her agent manages to secure her a role on "The Dating Game", where she is to play a dim-witted single woman who interviews three single men. Bachelor #3 turns out to be Rodney, playing the role of a sensitive, savvy man looking for romance on the game show. As taping begins, Cheryl loses interest in the role, while viewer Laura (Nicolette Robinson) recognizes Rodney from a previous encounter and is desperate to call the authorities before he hurts another woman.

Rodney's murderous intent doesn't remain hidden in The Woman of the Hour. Though the screenplay repeatedly mentions his barbaric habits throughout the film, the focus is on his actions and how he shows warmth and kindness to the women he meets throughout the film. In 1971, he is approached by flight attendant Carly (Kathleen Gallagher) to help her move her belongings in her New York City apartment. This leads to the onset of an attraction to the stranger that quickly turns deadly. In 1979, teenage runaway Amy (Autumn Best) is desperately looking for a place to stay in LA but soon catches the eye of Rodney, who wants to use her as a model for a photo shoot in the desert. He then takes the unsuspecting girl on long drives to nowhere. Set in 1978, much of Woman of the Hour follows aspiring actress Cheryl's terrifying experiences as she meets horrible people and goes to auditions with little chance of success. She's broke and fed up with the whole process. She also finds her neighbor Terry (Pete Holmes) upset by pretending to be her friend, but wants more.

Cheryl gets a chance to appear on The Dating Game and is briefed on the aggressively sexual, almost flirtatious content of the show, including host Ed (Tony Hale) demanding that she wear more provocative outfits. Cheryl is asked to play a flirtatious, dim-witted woman in front of the camera, and her patience begins to wear thin during the taping. In "Woman of the Hour," Cheryl realizes her own loss of integrity while playing the sex object (and eventually takes control of the situation with an impromptu question), and the game builds several threads of tension throughout, as Rodney relishes the chance to pursue a female lover. They must fight on price and deal with competitors they openly hate. And in the audience is Laura, shocked to recognize the killer and trying to make sense of what's going on. The script puts the spotlight on the useless men, as Laura's boyfriend does his best to not believe Laura's story, but the studio security is downright ruthless, refusing to pay attention to the accuser who tries to draw her attention to the emergency.

The film has a big message of "trust women" and Kendrick handles it carefully, creating a disturbingly realistic situation of trust and seduction that gives Rodney access to his prey. Though a bit of his psychological profile is on display, Woman of the Hour is mostly about mood, focusing on the awkward conversations and connections that turn terrifying as Rodney gets closer. Kendrick delivers memorable imagery and vivid acting, ratcheting up the tension in the final act as the two investigate two different terrifying situations involving a killer. Woman of the Hour certainly showcases Kendrick's directorial skills and MacDonald's mastery of storytelling, as the pair get to the heart of horror on an emotional, physical and personal level in this terrifying film. You can watch the full movie on Afdah info website.