Title: Woman of the Hour
MPA Rating: R
Director: Anna Kendrick
Starring: Anna Kendrick, Daniel Zovatto, Tony Hale
Runtime: 1 hr 35 mins

What It Is: Sheryl (Kendrick) is a struggling actress living in Los Angeles in the 1970s. When she lands a spot on a popular dating game show, she has no idea who she’s about to come face to face with—a monster. You see, Bachelor #3 is hiding a dangerous secret. His name is Rodney (Zovatto), a photographer, but beneath his charming exterior lies a predator—one hellbent on feeding his narcissistic desires. And the way he feeds them? By stalking, strangling, and murdering innocent women. Will Sheryl be his next victim?

What We Think: I have to commend Anna Kendrick for taking on such a project for her directorial debut. It’s easy to simply work with whatever you’re given, but instead, she takes Ian McDonald’s screenplay and immerses us in a time and place far removed from our own. Period pieces are challenging and can often feel messy, but she absolutely nails the 1970s aesthetic, fully placing us in Sheryl’s shoes.

Daniel Zovatto is excellent here. The Costa Rican actor brings a particular kind of charisma to this real-life monster, surely reminiscent of the charm Alcala himself wielded. The film moves briskly from scene to scene, making the 95-minute runtime feel just right. It’s a well-told, suspenseful period crime drama that grips you from start to finish.

Our Grade: B-, As far as actor-turned-director debuts go, this is a strong introduction. Especially considering I had zero expectations going in. I can’t wait to see what Kendrick does next. She’s always been such a talented actress, and I usually enjoy anything she’s in. Knowing that she’s now stepping into directing—and doing it well—is pretty awesome. I’d definitely recommend this to my true crime friends. It’s a Netflix original that doesn’t completely suck! Hard to believe, I know!

4k

Netflix

Flatrate

hd

Netflix basic with Ads

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