Clearly, Anna Kendrick has something to say. Her new film Woman of the Hour is not merely a vanity project, professional development, or guilty pleasure.
She doesn’t really need all that. Kendrick is an accomplished actor and singer, having Academy Award, Tony, and Emmy nominations to go with her successful films and recordings. In the current film, she not only is lead actor; the movie also bears the stamp of a statement as her first endeavor as director.
Although ostensibly a thriller, Woman of the Hour provides inescapable commentary on women in American society, how they are subordinated and disposable. It should also be noted that her forthcoming film, Alice, Darling, which Kendrick has stated has strong personal relevance, also deals with abusive relationships.
More than merely generally true in the narrative, Woman of the Hour is shockingly true to fact. In 1978, serial killer Rodney Alcala (Daniel Zovatto) appeared as a contestant on the popular television program “The Dating Game.” Unbeknownst to the producers of the show, Alcala had already murdered Cornelia Crilley, a 23-year-old flight attendant, and at least several other women. He may have ultimately been guilty of the deaths of up to 130 victims.
Cheryl Bradshaw (Kendrick) came to Los Angeles as an aspiring young actress. She struggled through the rigors of Hollywood – indifferent casting directors, poorly written scripts, inappropriate requests from producers. Desperate for opportunity, Bradshaw accepts an invitation to appear as the bachelorette on “The Dating Game.”
In the quiz show format, she confronts three male contestants with a set of prepared questions and then must select one of them for a weekend date. Serial killer Alcala appears to be the best of the three contestants.
He had been a gifted student in high school, was tall, good-looking, and popular. But in a post-high school stint in the military, he had to be disciplined for repeatedly assaulting young women. He was diagnosed as having various anti-social personality disorders. By the time he appeared on “The Dating Game,” not only had Alcala already embarked on his killing spree, he had also raped and brutally attempted to kill an 8-year-old girl.
At first, Alcala may have seemed like an ideal contestant. He exuded self-confidence and a certain level of erudition. Still by showtime, he put off the show’s producers, other contestants, and even some of the audience.
By sheer coincidence, Laura (Nicolette Robinson), who had come to the show with her boyfriend, was sure she recognized Alcala as the person last seen with her friend Alison who had been brutally murdered. But her warnings to police and producers were not heeded.
Even Bachelorette Sheryl hardly had standing in the program that featured her. She was supposed to read from a list of prepared questions, not deviating from the show’s form.
She might have the job of choosing which bachelor she would date, but the snarky patronizing sexist commentary of game show host Jim Lange would put women in their proper place. They were there to serve as objects of men’s desires and the butt of their jokes. The misogynist culture of the ’70s still subordinated women’s feelings, safety, professional advancement, and personal concerns.
In the U.S. at this time, it was not yet illegal to discriminate against women in hiring, housing, financial credit, or even to exclude them from juries based on their gender. The nascent women’s rights movement had not yet attempted to rewire American sensibilities to protect and enable women.
It was no wonder that they were viewed by serial killers like Alcala as fodder for their desires, to be sexually abused then murdered.
Kendrick’s film frames the gender issue in the context of both game show and criminal thriller drama, in parallel at first. Then more starkly when the two mise-en-scènes intersect.
The first-time director is sure-handed in pacing and more subtle in presentation of women’s issues. She seems to take great care in letting the depiction of period piece culture do her work for her. It will be interesting to see if her next project, Alice, Darling, being contemporaneous, will further make this statement.
Anna Kendrick donated her pay for her work on Woman of the Hour to the Rape, Abuse, and Incest National Network. She explained that she did not want to feel that she was profiting from the sexual violence depicted by the film.
Woman of the Hour is streaming on Netflix.
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