Anna Kendrick, multi-hyphenate talent that she has proven to be for decades, is taking her first whirl in the directors chair with the film formerly known as The Dating Game, which has given way to Woman of the Hour. This is a true-crime narrative feature that was snapped up by multiple international markets before filming began, and although there will be a theatrical release in some markets, the movie will soon make a streaming debut on Netflix.
The film’s subject matter is both horrific and laced with the bleakest of humor as confirmed by Meagan Navarro of Bloody Disgusting, who calls it “an unshakable debut,” and Collider’s Nate Richard described the film as a “tense and has a great knack for dark humor, but it also has a lot on its mind.” Let’s talk about what viewers, should they dare to watch this story, can expect.
Plot
Kendrick’s extensive involvement in this project arrived around the same time that she starred in Alice, Darling, a film that she starred in to help exorcise an incredibly bad relationship. As it turns out, Woman of the Hour arrives with a similar theme but on a mass scale, given that this movie looks back on that time that a serial killer, Rodney Alcaca, appeared as a contestant on the true-to-life, 1970s-era The Dating Game show. Kendrick stars as aspiring actress Cheryl Bradshaw, who was unlucky enough to pick Alcaca as her date, but fortunately, she made it out of the situation alive.
Tragically, 100+ other women could not escape Alcaca’s clutches and lost their lives in the process. Some victims likely still have not been identified, according to photographs acquired by police following Alcaca’s arrest, and he served over three decades on death row before dying behind bars. The below video revisits Alcaca’s appearance on The Dating Game:
Netflix describes this movie as a “searing film” that “explores the way women navigate a world of violent men” — an especially sobering thought since Alcaca was at the height of his murder spree (and had already served time) when he decided to find a date on TV. When this film was announced, TIFF stressed that this story does not indulge in “gruesome details,” and that Kendrick’s project “harbours a dark truth: when you’re confronted by the rage of men, the only way to make it out alive is to play the game.”
Cast
Led by Anna Kendrick as Cheryl Bradshaw, the cast includes Daniel Zovatto as Alcaca along with Kathryn Gallagher, Tony Hale, Max Lloyd-Jones, Darcy Laurie, Kelley Jackie, Dylan Schmid, and Nicolette Robinson.
Release Date
In the U.S., Woman of the Hour will stream on October 18, only on Netflix. In Canada, the VVS Films-distributed movie will arrive in theaters on October 11.
Trailer
This trailer does not reflect well upon (due to Alcaca’s stalking specter) men who menacingly roam with cameras.