Trailer for Anna Kendrick's ‘Woman of the Hour'

Anna Kendrick’s directorial debut, “Woman of the Hour,” is a gutsy balancing act of black comedy and hardcore thriller elements; it doesn’t all work, but it’s endlessly fascinating in how unpredictable the whole thing is.

A trailer has been released for the film, which I don’t see being reported anywhere else, via the film’s Canadian distributor, VVS Films.

This is a solid directing debut from Kendrick, one which was bought by Netflix for $11 million at last year’s Toronto International Film Festival. The biggest sale of the fest. It currently sits at 74 on Metacritic (based on 15 reviews), and is 90% fresh on RT.

Yes, it turns out that Kendrick is a more than decent filmmaker, a wildly adventurous one, unafraid of rattling our nerves and making us chuckle in equal measure. She’s aided here by “Barbarian” cinematographer Zach Kuperstein in building up the dread, in almost every frame.

“Woman of the Hour” tackles kitschy ’70s pop culture through the lens of the serial killer genre. The plot is based on a true story. In 1978, serial killer Rodney Alcala was a contestant on “The Dating Game,” a show in which three bachelors are asked mundane questions by a bachelorette. Alcala was on the FBI’s 10 Most Wanted list for hundreds of rapes and murders. He actually won the game show, chosen by Cheryl (Anna Kendrick) as her “man of the hour”. The prize was a vacation together in Southern California.

Meanwhile, the film uses flashbacks to portray Alcala’s murderous spree. Posing as photographer on the streets of Los Angeles, and constantly preying on women. He’s played, with chilling effect, by Daniel Zovatto in a performance that will surely get talked about once this film gets released.

Nearly a year since it was picked up at TIFF, “Woman of the Hour” still hasn’t been dated by Netflix, but I assume a fall 2024 release is being eyed for the film.