"Woman of the Hour," directed by Anna Kendrick, was released on Netflix on October 18. This movie is trending on Netflix as it captures the true story of the American serial killer, Rodney Alcala. It features Anna Kendrick as Cheryl Bradshaw and Daniel Zovotto as Rodney Alcala. This is for a mature audience only, due to violent depictions.
This film takes place in Los Angeles in the 1970s and was full of murders that made headlines. A young woman who is a struggling actress goes on a game dating show. She crosses paths with a serial killer, one of the show's bachelors. This movie depicts the wave of victims that Alcala crosses paths with.
Highs
The highs of this film revolve around the tension between Alcala and the victims. The fear each victim becomes captures the tone of the film well. It is an intriguing psychological thriller that highlights Alcala's motives. Zovotto portrayed Alcala perfectly, quickly changing his emotions from laughing to this malicious look towards the women. To his victims, he seems like this charming guy who is an aspiring photographer, but that quickly changes after he gets them alone.
The number of flashbacks is another highlight, considering how detailed each is and builds context as to how Alcala convinces these women to accompany him. The plot is fascinating as it surrounds this dating game show and an aspiring actress, Bradshaw, who is more intelligent than she looks. Kendrick’s acting is excellent when it comes to Bradshaw as she portrays her emotions perfectly, showing her fear when encountering Alcala.
Another highlight was how similar the setting of the dating game show was to the original. It captured the true essence of the show and how it presented three bachelors and the "woman of the hour," Cheryl. The film accurately represented how these events took place to the audience.
Kendrick captured the true story as credible as possible. She showed many events in flashbacks, showing the audience a picture of each known victim involved.
Lows
The lows in this film are minimal; the main one is how Alcala looks. His hair is unlike Alcala's in real life, and some of his actions during the dating game cannot be perceived as authentic. Another low is that if the film was longer, it could have shown the trial of Alcala being prosecuted. The lack of information concerning Cheryl leaving out of the blue confused the audience. There were also instances where the flashbacks were confusing from what was past and present.
Verdict
"Woman of the Hour" is worth the watch for those interested in true crime. This film captures the chilling true story surrounding Rodney Alcala and how he murdered his victims.
Rating: 8.5 out of 10
Mariam Fakhreddine is a film and theater reviewer for The Eastern Echo. She has worked as a news and features reporter for The Echo for two years.
