Woman of the Hour movie review: Anna Kendrick has always been a standout as an actor. With her distinct screen presence and ability in mining out moments of truth even in the most fallible situations, she is one actor who is quietly dependable. Woman Of The Hour, which marks her directorial debut, takes that promise several notches higher – proving her to be a formidable talent even behind the screen.

This is a tough subject matter to handle for a first-time director – dealing with multiple plotlines, and involving a true crime saga that occurred in 1970s California. Kendrick not only nails the tension but also sharply examines what it means to be a woman in the male-dominated society – for her to merely exist.

A true crime thriller

Woman of the Hour sets the grip with a haunting introduction. A young woman tells a photographer Rodney (Daniel Zovatto) about the painful breakup she had recently. He zooms in closer and soon, she can sense that she needs to run to save her life this very instant. But it is too late. It cuts to Cheryl Bradshaw (Kendrick herself, in a sure-footed performance), an aspiring actor who is close to giving up on her dreams after being unable to crack through auditions where she is leered all over by men.

Upon a friend's requests, Cheryl says yes to do a TV show, The Dating Game, which aired in 1978. It is here, unbelievably, where the same photographer arrives as a contestant. He is bachelor number 3. He knows what to say, when to stop. He knows he is in here to win the girl. A woman in the audience (what a scene-stealing turn from Nicolette Robinson!) recognises this man. The stage is set for something truly horrible to occur.

A study of casual sexism

The course of this live show will be intercut with multiple instances that examine how this same man, Rodney Alcala, tricks young women into his sinister motives. Ian McDonald’s script is excellent in mining out these short and terrifying links to give just enough peak into the violence, and give the victims some sort of agency. The centerpiece of the film, however, are the scenes involving the dating show, and how it is aired. Kendrick, working with cinematographer Zach Kuperstein, shows a ferocious eye for blocking and space, controlling the way different perspectives seep into a single shot.

Turns out, truth is stranger than fiction. In addition, reality is even more scarier and exhausting. Kendrick is able to touch on the casual, everyday sexism that women face at work and in the entertainment industry, where so much of what a woman is projected to be is outlined from a deeply misogynistic male gaze. The serial killer entity is just a loose canon in a herd of men who are united in the same line of fragile egos.

Woman of the Hour does well by taking the serial killer story as the starting point to try and listen to the horrors of everyday livelihood of women, when their voices are not just sidelined, but practically silenced. The antagonist is much more than just the horrific true story of one person. It is about what this story has to tell about the patriarchal system that hides and protects such a monster in plain sight. Woman of the Hour is an intelligent and fascinating work, one that undeniably marks a major moment for its star and director Anna Kendrick.

Woman of the Hour premieres on Lionsgate Play on November 29.

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