Woman of the Hour (2023)
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A woman's participation in a 1970s game show leads her into the orbit of a man who is secretly a serial killer.
The story
The film's storylines alternate between Rodney Alcala's crimes in different locations from 1971 to 1979 and Sheryl Bradshaw's life in 1978 Los Angeles which leads to the two meeting on The Dating Game. In 1978, Sheryl Bradshaw is a struggling actress in Los Angeles who reluctantly agrees to appear on the television show The Dating Game to increase her visibility. During the live broadcast, she is paired with 'Bachelor #3', who is revealed to be Rodney Alcala. While a member of the audience recognizes him as a dangerous man, the production's security and staff fail to act on her concerns.
Full plot (contains spoilers)
The film alternates between the crimes of serial killer Rodney Alcala (1971–1979) and the life of Sheryl Bradshaw in 1978 Los Angeles. Sheryl, a struggling actress, appears on 'The Dating Game' and is paired with Alcala. A woman in the audience recognizes Alcala as a murderer, but her warnings are ignored by staff. After the show, Alcala and Sheryl go out for drinks; when Sheryl realizes he is dangerous and provides a fake phone number, he threatens her in a parking lot. She manages to escape. The film also depicts Alcala's prior crimes, including the murder of a woman in New York in 1971 and the assault of a woman in Wyoming in 1977. In 1979, Alcala lures a teenage runaway, Amy, to the desert, where he rapes and beats her. She eventually flees and is not caught until later. A postscript details Alcala's real-life history, noting he was eventually found to have murdered at least seven women and girls, with the true number potentially exceeding one hundred.
- First release year
- 2023
- Runtime (minutes)
- 94
- Production countries
- United States
- Original languages
- English
- Directors
- Anna Kendrick
- Writers
- Ian McDonald · writer
- Cast and characters
- Anna Kendrick · Sheryl Bradshaw; Daniel Zovatto · Alcala; Nicolette Robinson; Tony Hale
- Genres
- crime thriller; biographical drama
- Themes
- entrenched sexism in entertainment; systemic misogyny; critique of true crime media; performance of compliance
- Tone and mood
- frightening; discomfiting; dark comedy
- Setting
- Various locations in the United States (New York, Wyoming, Los Angeles, San Gabriel) between 1971 and 1979.
- Premise and plot tags
- true story; serial killer; game show; period piece
- Source material / true-story basis
- true story of Rodney Alcala
- Content notes
- violence against women
- Reception
- The film received generally favorable reviews, with critics praising Anna Kendrick's performance and direction, though some found it overly academic or self-consciously illustrative.
- Reported review scores
- Metacritic · score: 74 · scale: 100 · review count: 35
- Production trivia
- Anna Kendrick's directorial debut; Script was on the Black List
Film metadata comes from the open sources listed in Credits & Contact. Catalogue details may be incomplete.
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