Woman of the Hour, When the Dating Game becomes a matter of life and death 

A young girl is standing in the middle of a valley and a guy is taking pictures of her, whilst doing this he is also asking her questions about herself. 

As she is telling her story she feels vulnerable and starts crying. He goes up to seemingly console her, but instead puts his hand around her neck and begins to strangle her. She desperately tries to move away from him, but he jumps on her. He pulls her to the ground and as she tries to fight back, he strangles her, resuscitates her and then strangles her again until she is dead. 

This is how this NETFLIX haunting and chilling true story starts off. It is a tangible and ghastly flashback to the myriad crimes of Rodney Alcala.

Posing as a photographer, this real-life serial rapist and killer targeted women and young girls in the 1970’s. Rodney’s other dubious claim to fame is that, before he was finally caught, he also appeared on the popular US TV show The Dating Game.

He was one of three male contestants who vied with each other to be chosen to go on a date with a woman looking for love.

Anna Kendrick plays that girl, and the re-enactment of the show is the axis that holds the story together, along with flashbacks that reveal the true nature of Alcala.   

This is Anna Kendrick’s directorial debut, and she impresses, especially considering she had only 24 days to film. She makes a very convincing filmmaker, with cleverly thought-out scenes, sympathetic portrayals of victims and a Hitchcockian sense of creating tension.

High praise indeed, but she deserves it, and it will be hoped that this is not a directing one off. Kendrick shows a steely independence too, stating in a recent interview that she stuck to what she wanted the scenes to be and was not influenced by the producers.

As an actress Anna Kendrick has mostly been in films that are happy and heartfelt. It is good to see her branching out into projects that have a darker edge, giving us a chance to see a different side to her. 

Because it is a true crime film the viewer knows that Kendricks character (Cheryl) is getting into more and more danger, but this does not detract from the tension but rather heightens it.

On a side note, because her character is an aspiring actor you get to see glimpses of the challenges faced in getting ahead in the business. It seems little has changed, with one scene in particular showcasing this, which is when she is audiencing for a role and the two casting directors use misogynistic behaviour when discussing nudity in roles.

The script of Woman of the Hour is brilliant. It was written by Ian MacAlister McDonald and his use of time and pace are exemplary. The script can be a little too blunt, but I think that it is needed in this feature. It is after all about a serial killer. 

True crime as a genre has become a world-wide phenomenon and shows no sign of losing its popularity. So, what makes Woman of the Hour stand out? I think it’s because instead of focusing on what is happening in the killer’s mind, it is more about the victims and what they are going through. 

 

Daniel Zovatto plays Rodney Alcala stupendously. Can I say that? He has this uncanny confidence about him and has the right amount of creepiness and doesn’t overdo it. 

Zovatto is not alone, the other actors are also brilliant. They bring authenticity to roles that because of the real-life nature of the story, could easily drift into caricature.

The actresses especially use their eyes incredibly well to portray subtle looks of fear rather than using body language. It is a look that many women may recognise. 

Some audiences might prefer the normal route of the focus being on the serial killer, with the victims just stop signs on a sick minds journey to self-destruction. 

However, with the unsettling mixture of celebrity culture and a serial killer’s strange role with in it, Woman of the Hour does the almost impossible, it adds another layer to the true-crime genre.

I have purposely not revealed much of the plot as I don’t want to spoil the viewers appreciation. However, the ending of this film is unbearably tense.

The movie JAWS had the tag line, “You’ll never go in the water again!”

The Woman of the Hour could have, “You’ll never go dating again!”

Check it out.

3 Comments

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