(SPOILERS from Woman Of The Hour will be found below.)
Netflix knows when to pounce on a compelling true crime story, and over the past weekend, they scored with Anna Kendrick’s directorial debut, Woman Of The Hour. The film follows prolific 1970s serial killer Rodney Alcala (portrayed chillingly by Daniel Zovatto), who surfaced on The Dating Game show where he crossed paths with aspiring actress Cheryl Bradshaw, who realized that something was seriously “off” with Alcala and fled from his deadly web.
Sadly, however, Zovatto charmed his way into the lives of a handful of other victims during the course of the film, and through Kendrick’s direction, these women came to life onscreen in multidimensional ways. Their life stories, their disappointments, hopes, and dreams, none of these details received short shrift in a Black List script from Ian McDonald, who recently told Indiewire about how he framed this story to be more about a culture that let Alcala flourish rather than Alcala himself. Likewise, Kendrick has been forthright in the past about how she has seen some sh*t throughout the course of her own personal life, which she clearly used to fuel her directing fire.
The Woman Of The Hour, despite being a potentially triggering movie to watch, is also unmissable, and those who were transfixed by how Kendrick deftly handled this subject matter are likely wondering what she will do next.
What Will Anna Kendrick Direct Next After Woman Of The Hour?
The answer to that, unfortunately, is that Anna Kendrick does not know what she will direct next, as she recently admitted to Collider. Still, Daniel Zovatto asked during their joint interview, “[C]an I be in it?” Please.
Kendrick also used her answer to praise Ian McDonald’s script and Zovatto’s incredible onscreen turn:
“I haven’t found anything yet because I truly think I hit the jackpot with this script. I hit the jackpot with the cast and the crew, truly, down to a person. I don’t know what I would have done if anything about it was different. That started with Danny because, as you say, I saw him in Station 11. Well before that character is nefarious, I was so drawn in by his performance. One of the hardest things for actors to do is to be still. It requires a certain level of trust in oneself.”
One thing is certain: when Kendrick chooses her next directorial project, the Woman Of The Hour audience will be seated. She will also soon be seen in A Simple Favor 2, directed by Paul Feig and co-starring Blake Lively, which will stream on Prime Video/Amazon in 2025.
