MOVIE SCENE CANADA
WOMAN OF THE HOUR
I VVS Films I October 11, 2024 I 89 mins. I
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Starring: Anna Kendrick, Daniel Zovatto, Tony Hale, Nicolette Robinson, Kelley Jakle, Matty Finochio
Directed By: Anna Kendrick
* As of 10/11/24
Woman of the Hour is the stranger-than-fiction story of an aspiring actor (Anna Kendrick) in 1970s Los Angeles and a serial killer in the midst of a years-long murder spree, whose lives intersect when they’re cast on an episode of The Dating Game.
After becoming a quadriplegic, he became a charismatic leader and activist in the quest to find a cure for spinal cord injuries, as well as a passionate advocate for disability rights and care - all while continuing his career in cinema in front of and behind the camera and dedicating himself to his beloved family.
REVIEW BY: Kurt Morrison - 10/11/24
RATING 4.5 out of 5
Woman of The Hour came to the Toronto International Film Festival back in 2023, and I don't remember hearing much about it. At the time, it was touted as an interesting directorial debut by its star, the always endearing and entertaining Anna Kendrick. And after a year of seemingly sitting in limbo, her film has finally the light of day, coming to theatres for a brief stint then hitting Netflix just before Halloween.
Call me blindsided, in all the right ways, Woman of The Hour is one of 2024’s best films and had me glued from start to finish, with its taut and tense subject matter that doesn’t just focus in on the villainy of serial killer Rodney Alcala but explores the misogyny and bias women of not only the 1970s faced during this time, but still to this day.
We begin the film meeting Kendrick’s Cheryl Bradshaw, as she navigates the 70s Hollywood scene, with an audition being our first real understanding of the type of life she is leading. Unfulfilled, confused and running out of money, Kendrick portrays that damsel in distress even before we encounter Daniel Zovatto’s Rodney Alcala. I have ALWAYS like Kendrick. Always. And although this is not her biggest or flashiest performance, I honestly believe this is the best work of her career. She packs her usual cute demeanor into 70s attire, yet takes the reins during the moments of the movie when she is on The Dating Game, realizing she is in a room full of people who do not give a shit about her or her well-being. Even during these scenes, she executes a game of cat and mouse really well with the other two contestants, none of whom understand the monster they are sharing the stage with.
The film packs a lean runtime of under 90 minutes, yet twists and turns with both contrasting storytelling tones - gently dark comedic at times then at the drop of a scene, horrific - and does so in a seamless and perfect way. Kendrick’s choice to use non-linear storytelling to put on display Alcala’s murderous sprees, along with her journey through hopeful stardom and into the Dating Game’s backlot weave very carefully so that we can understand the crossroads our two mains are about to come to. Around the 20 minute mark when I understood what Kendrick’s narrative intentions were, I went from liking the film to loving the film and couldn’t take my eyes off the film.
On the flipside of Kendrick’s fantastic work, in front and behind the camera, is a star-making turn for Daniel Zovatto - and I mean STAR MAKING. Zovatto’s interpretation of Serial Killer Rodney Alcala is absolutely gripping, as he immerses himself into the Jekyll and Hyde-like sociopath in creepy fashion, fleshing out an interpretation of a monster that echos the eerie narcissistic deceptiveness fictional film villains like Hopkin’s Hannibal Lecter or Spacey’s John Doe.
The film's greatest strength is not glamourising Alcala's heinous crimes with gratuitous visual violence, but instead keeping things subtle yet still visceral with long angles and quick cuts. Kendrick and her DP Zach Kuperstein's approach is unnerving yet humanizing to the victims of these acts. In fact, the film opens with what seems like an unbearable to watch sequence, but then quickly cuts away. There are several throughout the film, and Kendrick’s choice to display the violence in this manner is a breath of fresh air because I believe in today’s day and age of Hollywood True Crime storytelling, too much is brought to the forefront. As mentioned previously, this feels like it harkens back to Spacey’s John Doe in the film Se7en, where our killers work is never at the focus, yet we are left to experience the reprehensible actions through a different imaginative lens and scope.
If this is chapter one of Director Anna Kendrick, I am very excited to see what she has to come. It is an admirably crafted exploration of the haunting reality some women have to experience and is a wonderfully crafted deviation in the true crime genre. I absolutely loved everything about Woman of The Hour and hope it stays in the conversation for both the general population and the film-going crowd for weeks to come.