‘Woman of the Hour’ showcases Anna Kendrick’s acting and directorial talent
The Netflick is a compelling watch.
It’s hard to see everything there is to know about a person after only asking them a few questions. Most don’t reveal their whole hand or facade inside the first ten pages of someone else reading them. A predicament that befalls Sheryl Bradshaw (Anna Kendrick) on a dating show in the 1970s. A young aspiring actress who gets a spot on a show that selects a suitor from a group of three after a round of questions.
Hired to smile wide and just be delightful, Sheryl shows a particular fondness for the gentle giant contestant, Rodney (Daniel Zovatto). There’s just one awful thing about him that she doesn’t know yet, and it’ll cost a lot to learn the truth.
Directed by Kendrick, Woman of The Hour is a riveting watch even though the audience knows the truth about Rodney before Sheryl. Based on a true story, Ian McDonald’s taut script moves around the timeline of the murders and the game show to establish the wrath of a notorious serial killer. Zovatto doesn’t let the antagonist drift into a ground where the audience simply despises him, revealing the twisted soul behind the madness. He lures his victims in by taking their picture and promising them stardom.
Kendrick shows a veteran eye behind the camera, casting a fitting Zodiac-type aesthetic over the movie. For being a first timer behind the camera, this is an impressive production. The murder scenes are a slow-burn, and the grisliness is replaced by a surreal Hitchcock vibe. While the events may seem like they’re heading to a certain conclusion, Kendrick and McDonald are able to generate suspense with the manner with which they tell the tale. Refusing to overstay your welcome helps.
She gives a credible and relatively low key performance as the woman in question who knows too little to go on a date with Rodney. One of her best gifts as an actress is being believable without having to overplay a role. She can say so much with just a smile and few words of dialogue, a skill used to perfection in Woman of the Hour.
Zovatto is the real find. Without terrifying people, he strikes a nice balance between creepy and brooding with a sensibility that pulls people in. I haven’t seen him much before this one, but he’s definitely an actor to keep an eye on. There are a hundred ways to portray a killer and most choose a hammy version, but Zovatto walks the line between making you root against him, and then also wanting him to stick around for more scenes.
Let’s hope he keeps getting good roles, and that Kendrick keeps directing movies. Woman of the Hour is a different breed of thriller, one that is patient and knows how to kick the tension up a notch when needed.
Rating: Click on it tonight if you’re staying in. Get a pizza, some whiskey, and turn off the lights.