“Woman of the Hour” sets new standard for genre
The VistaB.G. Williams
Contributing Writer
“Woman of the Hour” directed by Anna Kendrick released on Netflix on Oct. 18.
Kendrick’s directorial debut centers on the killings of real-life serial killer Rodney Alcala (Daniel Zovatto) in the 1970s. Notoriously, Zovatto appeared on national television via “The Dating Game” in 1978 amid his crimes.
However, rather than focusing on the life of the killer and his motives, the plot focuses on some of his victims. Through non-chronological storytelling, the film shows how Alcala lured victims, mainly younger women, by presenting himself as charming, interesting, and caring, before the women could see how much danger they were in.
What sets this film apart from others in the genre is how it depicts the violence towards women. It has become typical to expect a romanticized and prolonged scene of violence for each murder that may be depicted in a true crime film. Kendrick takes a different approach. She centers the uneasiness of realization for these women immediately prior to their deaths, rather than the acts themselves. The fear and anxiety matched with the score and cinematography choices leaves audiences unsettled. The quietness after each crime is committed is what is left for the viewer rather than haunting images of blood and gore.
The creative choices of this film also leave audiences with the realization that just because Alcala is the obvious antagonist, that does not mean that he was the only one. The film takes the time to show how women were treated in the seventies, how often they were not believed or taken seriously when they reached out to authorities about their concerns. It also shows the failings of the police system in the time before unified databases and the like. Another way that Kendrick has set the standards for future films in the genre is what she did with the profits. She donated the entirety of her paycheck to the Rape, Abuse & Incest National Network (RAINN) and the National Center for Victims of Violent Crime.