Anna Kendrick’s directorial debut Woman of the Hour is a tense crime thriller led by the all engrossing, subdued and horrifying performance of Daniel Zovatto. 

 

Distinctly set in a 1970s backdrop, Woman of the Hour tells a true story of a serial killer managing to appear on a live taping of The Dating Game. The aesthetic this film possesses is absolutely incredible and while focusing primarily on a sound stage, the costume and production design immersed fully engrossed the viewer into this setting. 

 

Showcasing several of Rodney Alala’s horrific acts of violence throughout the 70s, each interaction Rodney has been his upcoming victim is as tense as it is heart wrenching to witness play out. Zovatto is simultaneously charming yet incredibly manipulative as he speaks to his unsuspecting victims of taking them on as the subject for his photography. 

 

The Dating Game centering on Anna Kendrick’s Sheryl Bradshaw potentially getting her big break, à la Sally Field, is an important moment to witness as the audience is offered numerous signs of misogyny and poor police work during the times. Kendrick is just as eclectic in front of the camera as she is behind, allowing the film a little fun humor around the unsettling circumstances. 

 

If there’s a fault the film suffers from, it’s within its story structure. Jumping around the 70s, it’s difficult to keep up with the timeline in which these heinous crimes are being committed. Dates pop up on the screen, but for those not sure of when the previous scenes took place, this can get rather confusing. The individual scenes are well executed in every regard, its issues form in the way it’s stitched together. 

 

Woman of the Hour is a remarkable story of happenstance and how a serial killer managed to be a contestant on one of the most popular television programs at the time. His reign of terror and the history that goes along with it is a truly shocking discovery to learn, delivering an experience that easily can send shivers down one’s spine.