“Woman of the Hour” is the name of a new Netflix film directed by Anna Kendrick, who also has a starring role. Notably, she donated everything she earned from this venture to two charitable causes: RAINN (Rape, Abuse & Incest National Network) and The National Center for Victims of Crime.
Which gives you a clue to the main plot and genre of Woman of the Hour. In brief, the story per Rotten Tomatoes: “An aspiring actress crosses paths with a prolific serial killer in ’70s LA when they’re cast on an episode of ‘The Dating Game.’ Based on a true story.” I agree with Richard Roeper, Chicago Sun-Times: “Anna Kendrick succeeds as both director and star, convincing as the bachelorette who chooses a monster as her date.”
If you’re interested in the basic facts before seeing the film (could be considered a Spoiler Alert), here’s how David Fear, Rolling Stone, lays it out: “It’s one of the stranger footnotes in the annals of American true crime: In 1978, a decade into cross-country reign of terror and still a year away from finally being caught, serial killer Rodney Alcala was a contestant on The Dating Game. “Bachelor No. 3” managed to impress the episode’s bachelorette, Chery Bradshaw, enough to win an an all-expense trip to Carmel, California, with her. A conversation after the show convinced Bradshaw that maybe she should pass on the opportunity to spend further time with someone who, television-friendly charm or not, was a walking, talking red flag. May we be so bold as to say: Wise move.”
The brief clip in the opening to this trailer depicts Cheryl, who has been fictionalized for the film, after she realizes how sketchy her chosen Bachelor seems. Cut then to what precedes this, The Dating Game; interspersed are scenes of a few of predator Alcala’s other victimizations.
Selected Info from Female Critiques of Woman of the Hour
Carla Meyer, San Francisco Chronicle: “’Woman of the Hour,’ Anna Kendrick’s tense, insightful directing debut, re-centers the narrative on Alcala’s victims and the rampant misogyny that suffused the 1970s.”
Alissa Wilkinson, Vox: “…smartly weaves into the narrative the many ways in which women are conditioned to put up with men.”
Marya Gates, rogerebert.com: “Before the violence becomes scintillating or exploitative, she [Kendrick] abruptly cuts away, making sure the viewer is aware of their own voyeurism, which she has the power to deny.”
