Woman of the Hour (2023)

Anna Kendrick presents her feature debut, based on the real-life case of Rodney Alcala, a serial killer who committed numerous crimes in the 1970s.

The Pitch Perfect actress delivers a solid performance in terms of framing, staging and transitions, giving her the confidence that her directorial debut makes her worth keeping an eye on for future projects.

Regarding her performance, I have nothing to add that isn't already known : I think she has talent of her own and versatility, even with a bit of brilliance when the characters she plays require it

“The Woman of the Hour” sometimes avoids the classic "psychotic killer ” story because it doesn't focus on the public nature of the murders and doesn't want to shock me with brutality and gore.

The play criticizes the masculinity of the time, the ineffectiveness of power and the risk of encountering dangerous characters.

Regarding the latter, there is one scene where the tension reaches a high level and many others seem underused.

The film could be like Zodiac, but without the dark, morbid and disturbing atmosphere.

The setting is very successful and achieved, with a tracking of the murderer for several years, those 70's, where DNA tests did not yet exist and if a panicked woman needed help, it was even a reason for teasing by the police or security corps, almost always male.

It must be said that all this has changed, but unfortunately, it has not improved much. A lot of 900 phone, a lot of paperwork, but no drastic measures.

A detail that I liked very much, is the criticism of those scripted programs that attract so many millions of people around the world for almost or more than 50 years, and we are still jellyfish without brain cells entertained by riffraff who do not even know how to open a can of mussels.