What I'm watching: Woman of the Hour

Anna Kendrick has a new take on serial killers

I am reminded of that joke from Mateo Lane where he compares how gay men and straight women date men. The gist is that gay men are pretty ballsy with their exploits while women are mostly concerned with getting home alive. That joke, as well as the viral story “Cat Person,” were top of mind when I saw this movie. 

What is it about this film? It focuses on the women, their point of view and how they each have a unique way of reacting to men in situations where they are invisible, love-bombed, followed, exploited, scared and of course – the quietly blistering violence of trying to be nice. In only about an hour and a half, it explores all of these things with patient pacing, beautiful landscapes and humor that makes you nod and shake your head. 

I’m kind of over the serial killer thing, but I like the way this movie tries to subvert the genre. Our fascination with serial killers many times is based on a practical motive: we want to learn how to survive if it happens to us. I get that, and this movie certainly delivers. I was surprised to learn (after hitting Wikipedia) the killer also murdered young men, because that was not included in this movie, and I think this further exploration would have given the movie a bit more breadth. 

As a horror movie fan, the slow burn and the tension in this movie is intense. No cheap jump scares here. And based on a true story from the 1970s, the outfits and the hair are super groovy, man. Now on Netflix.