As it stands, there haven’t been too many surprises at TIFF 2023, but Anna Kendrick’s directorial debut, Woman of the Hour, is probably the first and that’s all thanks to her. The main takeaway from the film is that Kendrick is a more-than-capable director with a specific ability to craft genuine tension and suspense.
The film depicts the real-life killing rampage executed by Rodney Alcala (portrayed by Daniel Zovatto) throughout the 1970s. If the name Rodney Alcala doesn’t sound familiar, you may know him as “The Dating Game Killer” instead. He was given the name after appearing on the popular ABC television show in 1978. These days, true crime is exceedingly exhausted as a genre, but in Woman of the Hour, Kendrick smartly uses Alcala’s appearance on the game show as the film’s centrepiece, and it pays off in what are hands down the film’s most effective sequences.
The story of Rodney Alcala’s victims has flown under the radar for quite some time. Surprisingly, Kendrick manages to walk the difficult line of showing just enough violence to keep the film unsettling without ever becoming grotesque. Alcala was a photographer who used his charm to target young women and men and Kendrick uses flashes back and forward in time to depict these interactions.
The film’s main plot takes place over one day – the day Alcala was on The Dating Game with struggling actress Cheryl Bradshaw (portrayed by Kendrick). In between all of this is where the audience sees Alcala’s evil through flashbacks. While this may not work for some, it’s an effective way to integrate some of Alcala’s victims without stuffing too much into a single 24-hour period story, even if used too frequently.
The film is tonally inconsistent but surprisingly not bothersome. Pairing Kendrick’s brand of comedy with this type of subject matter is risky. Still, like its depiction of violence, the film understands this and uses it sparingly to add moments of levity.
The best section of the film is when Bradsaw intentionally goes off-script during the game show’s taping. It’s a great use of her on-screen abilities and doesn’t sacrifice any of the film’s tension. Kendrick’s impeccable comedic sensibilities and timing enhance the movie overall, as it takes similar skills to craft the rhythm of suspense. They will undoubtedly be her greatest strength as a director moving forward.
