From the left: Tony Hale, as Ed, Anna Kendrick, as Sheryl and Daniel Zovatto, as Rodney in a scene from Woman of the Hour.Leah Gallo/Netflix/Supplied
Film Name: Woman of the Hour
Classification: PG; 89 minutes
Directed by: Anna Kendrick
Written by: Ian MacAllister McDonald
Starring: Anna Kendrick, Daniel Zovatto, Tony Hale, Nicolette Robinson
Opens: Oct. 11
There’s a certain power dynamic between the person behind a camera lens and the one in front. It’s one that actor Anna Kendrick must be plenty familiar with, having been in the industry for more than 20 years, in movies such as the Pitch Perfect series, Up in the Air and the Trolls series.
In the film, she scrutinizes a stranger-than-fiction story of a real-life serial rapist and murderer, who went on to appear on a dating show before he was finally apprehended by authorities. Being behind the camera played a pivotal role in his crimes. While true crime might not be a film genre you’d expect from Kendrick, known more for her comedic characters, she delivers a taut thriller that’s also a sharp critique of the casual misogyny women face.
The titular character is Sheryl Bradshaw (Kendrick), an aspiring actress who goes to one dispiriting audition after another in Los Angeles with as much grace and humour as she can manage. Meanwhile, in another part of the U.S., Rodney Alcala (Daniel Zovatto) is a photographer on the hunt. He has a knack for finding vulnerable women, disarming them with an easy smile and a simple request: Can I take your photo?
When Sheryl’s agent suggests that she appear on The Dating Game, a TV reality show where a woman chooses a suitor from three men sitting behind a screen, as a way to get noticed, Sheryl demurs at first. But then she convinces herself, and slaps on a smile for the stage, especially after the disparaging host, Ed Burke (Tony Hale), tells her to play dumb for the cameras. Turns out that Rodney is one of the three contestants whom Sheryl has to choose from, and the prize is an all expenses-paid trip with the date.
Leading up to this encounter, the film audience has already witnessed Rodney’s violence against several women, as the story jumps time and locations from Wyoming and San Gabriel to New York. On the show, however, Rodney comes off as charming, cool and collected even, masking his dark side behind a casual grin.
The film is based on a series of true events, and fictionalizes some aspects. Since not much was known about Sheryl, Woman of the Hour makes up her backstory as a struggling actor. Kendrick plays Sheryl with her characteristic style – she may smile amiably, but her eyes belie her indignation. In one part of the dating game, Kendrick’s witty charm is on full display – which seems a little too pat for the plot. But the comic relief is short-lived and we’re quickly back into a tense story about a man on the hunt for his victim.
The screenplay is smart, using cutaways to flip the narrative from Shirley to Rodney; mirroring the disorientation and disassociation that women who are victims of violence might feel. The writing is succinct, which Kendrick as director uses to powerful effect by allowing the actors to breathe through their performances. Haunting punctuations of cello solos add a nervous energy to the scenes. We don’t get too much of a backstory of Rodney; there’s no attempt to humanize him. And the violence is mostly off-screen, keeping the view uncomfortable without being desensitized.
In the end, Alcala was caught because of the wherewithal of a marginalized young woman, who likely had to face predators in her past. The chilling postscript before credits roll hammers home the role she played in putting Alcala in prison, leaving us to wonder just what does it take to stop the horrific cycle of violence.
It turns out that Kendrick hadn’t planned to direct this film. She first joined the project as an actor, pitching herself as a director when production had stalled. The film was shot over 24 days in Vancouver, and recreates the 1970s with careful detail – but the story could be just as well applicable today. While it may have been accidental, Woman of the Hour is an assured debut.
In the interest of consistency across all critics’ reviews, The Globe has eliminated its star-rating system in film and theatre to align with coverage of music, books, visual arts and dance. Instead, works of excellence will be noted with a critic’s pick designation across all coverage. (Television reviews, typically based on an incomplete season, are exempt.)