Woman of the Hour Review

Stranger-than-fiction projects have that edge to them. Something nondescript but chilling which lends itself to the thrills and spills of the true crime genre. It is what made Mindhunter tick but what makes floaty, light podcasts detailing horrific murders so distasteful. Finding the balance between floods of grim detail and those necessary, light moments where we can take a breather and allow the facts and figures to settle in. Anna Kendrick marks her directorial debut – another step behind the camera for talented actors looking to break into the next medium. Understanding the backdrop and what builds those horrors is crucial for the performance at the core of this – and what makes it all the better – bleaker, even – is how unflinching Kendrick is through this. Remarkable. A next step for the true crime horrors in all its sinister ways.  

But getting there through unique narrative draws is tricky. Kendrick manages to subvert expectations through subtle, simple camerawork where action implication is just as haunting as what we see. Woman of the Hour is disgustingly creative. Where many true crime adaptations fail to add those chilling subtleties, Kendrick is a natural. It is the bleed of a misunderstood era trying to make sense of a new terror and the shortcomings of attitudes of the time. Through Kendrick, there is a brilliant observation of the sexualisation of the times, and the obvious shortcomings of the modern world and these attitudes prevailing still make Woman of the Hour all the more observant. It is not just a spot of murder and sinister serial killers but the dream of Los Angeles living, the frustration of not standing out, all factor into the desperation of The Dating Game.  

Kendrick does well to mark a new perspective, an honest one which adds a layer of emotion not found in other modern adaptations of serial killer stories. There is a subtlety to it which – even when it does not work as found in the pieces with Pete Holmes, as exceptional as he is – works better than the bulk of what has been released. The bar is low yet Kendrick and this project vaulted it with ease with a well-shot and slick production. It loses something in its inability to truly replicate the era, the slick cameras putting an end to that, but it still reigns supreme. Discomfort is frequent and yet the pieces of The Dating Show are as skin-crawling as the brutal murders carried out by Rodney Alcala (Daniel Zovatta). Excellent work from the leading pair in not only bringing a human touch to inhumane individuals but also in creating a sense of dread and urgency in scenes which could have been filler.  

Though its setting and material may be hammy, Kendrick has succeeded in what she set out to do. Woman of the Hour is an uncomfortable experience. Rough around the edges but straight to the point and exhilarating in most moments. Much of that is dependent on the uncanny performance from Zovatta, the tension Kendrick maintains behind the camera and the fantastic sense of storytelling she brings. But within this is a unique take on the serial killer genre. Kendrick manages to maintain a sense of understanding in the slimy game these killers find themselves playing, something the genre has been missing out on for some time. A human touch to every character, their hopes and dreams scattered throughout is the brilliant finishing touch – which Kendrick keeps consistent through this adaptation of a story as brutal as it is strange. It never feels sardonic or exploitative, but Woman of the Hour does not bring itself to a conclusion beyond a basic evil.