On The Dating Game, contestants ask questions of mystery potential partners, hoping to find a winner. But Woman of the Hour reminds us that that decision can also be life and death.
Directed by Anna Kendrick, Woman of the Hour tells the unbelievable true story of Cheryl Bradshaw (Kendrick), a struggling actress in 1970s Los Angeles. Having difficulty finding work, Cheryl’s agent suggests that she appear on The Dating Game in order to ‘get some exposure’. However, unbeknownst to Cheryl, one of her aspiring dates is none other than Rodney Alcala, a serial killer in the midst of a years-long murder spree.
In many ways, this is an ambitious first project for any director. Fractured narrative, shifting timelines and historical set pieces can be difficult for anyone to manage. Even so, Kendrick shows incredible composure behind the camera. A veteran of the business now, Kendrick takes that experience and confidently translates the necessary emotion onscreen. Scenes such as walking in the parking lot or sitting with a (qualified) stranger at dinner weigh upon the viewer with a blanket of terror. At the same time, when Cheryl’s on camera, the film has a certain, uneasy bounce to it that blurs the line between the silliness of the game show and the truths about Rodney that we already know.
It’s also worth noting that Kendrick shines on camera, as always. Within this project, there seems to be a focus within her performance that we don’t always see in her. One can see that she knows that this film is more than just another thriller. This is a story that needs to be told and she pours that into her performance. Having said this though, the film’s strongest performance comes from Zovatto as Alcala. Alcala was a man of charisma and ferocity and Zovatto infuses that blend into his performance. While a maniacal sneer, Zovatto is both fascinating and worth fearing.
In some moments, he seems to be a man you’d like to invite into your home. In others, he’s a man that you wish you hadn’t.
If there’s an issue with the film, it may come in the form of its fractured structure. Admittedly, the film’s shifting between time can be jarring. However, without giving any spoilers, the film’s finale helps explain the reason between its weaving between past and future. As such, while may take audiences some time to understand as Hour pieces its puzzle together, this becomes entirely justified by the end.
In many ways, it’s interesting to see how Kendrick uses Hour to dissect toxic masculinity into its various notes. On the surface, Hour points out the obvious threats to women by highlighting attitudes that attempt to keep them in a box. Not-so-subtle comments made by producers on the show for her to “smile more” or keep her questions simple attempt to show Cheryl as a helpless woman who’s just looking for a man. Despite its condescending tone, this sort of sexism is somewhat obvious. But Kendrick’s film goes deeper in its exploration of male brutality.
By using the Dating Game as the primary framework for her storytelling, Kendrick also manages to disseminate different types of poisonous men by organizing the show’s ‘contestants’ from least to most harmful. On the left, the first contestant is somewhat clueless about femininity at all yet, in doing so, he thinks very little about what it means to honour women. In the middle is a man who overtly shows his sexual interests, assuming that women are some sort of conquest. However, by placing Alcala last, Hour points to the most dangerous type of man: the one who deliberately manipulates women into believing they’re something that they are not.
By the time Hour brings us to The Dating Game, we are already well aware of Alcala’s intent. He is a man of violence who seems unable to stop himself from his brutal inclinations. Nevertheless, he’s also a man of high intelligence and manipulative charm. He knows the answers that women want to hear and he will use them to his advantage. This sort of male toxicity is far more subtle but, in the end, Woman of the Hour wants us to know that it’s also the most dangerous.
Woman of the Hour is available in theatres on Friday, October 11th, 2024.
