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Much has been discussed about the brilliant Anna Kendrick‘s foray into directing, with her directorial debut Woman of the Hour releasing on Netflix on October 18. Thankfully, the conversations surrounding the film ever since its debut have been largely positive, with many pleasantly surprised by just how nuanced a tale this really is. Such is the praise that Woman of the Hour has been given, that review aggregator Rotten Tomatoes has certified it fresh with an impressive score of 90%, alongside an audience rating of 70%.
This isn’t just one of the more impressive Rotten Tomatoes scores of the year, it’s also one of the best in Kendrick’s entire career, with only a select few previous projects managing to equal or achieve better than Woman of the Hour so far. For Kendrick, moving behind the camera will always pose its challenges, but that doesn’t stop her time in front of it from being helpful in her new venture. Speaking in an interview with Collider’s Steve Weintraub, Kathryn Gallagher spoke about what it was like to be directed by Kendrick, saying:
“The dream! There would be so many times where she’d be like, “Okay, this feels crazy, I know, because you’re pretending to talk to nobody on the phone and that’s insane, but I just need a little bit more of this.” She would talk to you because she
knows
exactly what it’s like. You’d feel so safe to try things, to be new at things.”
Anna Kendrick Shows Great Potential on Her Directorial Debut
It’s one thing for a trusted actor to be given a chance behind the camera, but it is another for them to impress, with many a talented performer sitting in the director’s chair only for everything to go horribly wrong. When a name as big as Kendrick’s is announced to be trying their hand at directing, scrutiny is often rife. With that pressure in mind, it’s always a relief when said new director can show promise on their first try, with Kendrick doing exactly that. By taking themes close to her heart and experience gathered from her career to date, Kendrick managed to excel with her directorial debut, earning plenty of praise from critics. One such critic to praise Woman of the Hour was Collider’s Ross Bonaime, who said in his review:
“With her first film as director, Kendrick also proves herself to be an exciting new talent behind the camera. Given the nature of
Woman of the Hour
, she’s able to present herself as fully proficient at playing up the awkward pressure of a rom-com, the rapid-fire comedy of
The Dating Game
segments, and the sheer nightmare of the serial killer attacks. Kendrick is great at building the tension as we flash back and forth through time to see the crimes of Alcala, and when he and Cheryl are finally left alone together, Kendrick uses the large, empty spaces of a parking lot and the frame of the camera itself to create one of the most uneasy moments in the entire film.Woman of the Hour
is a solid debut from Kendrick, and her ability to explore multiple genres—many of which seem surprising for the actress—build tension through her skilled direction. Her strengths bring this fascinating true-to-life story to the screen and make for one of the most intriguing directorial debuts this year.
Woman of the Hour
is a tight, smartly handled thriller that may stumble at times with its thematic ideas, but wins you over with its deft handling behind the camera. If this is only Kendrick’s first try as director, it’ll be very exciting to see what she does next.”
Woman of the Hour is certified fresh on Rotten Tomatoes. You can catch the film right now on Netflix.
- Release Date
- September 26, 2023
- Cast
- Anna Kendrick , Daniel Zovatto , Autumn Best , Andy Thompson , David Beairsto , Tighe Gill , Bonnie Hay , Thomas Strumpski , Nicolette Robinson , Kathryn Gallagher , Kelley Jakle , Tony Hale
- Runtime
- 94 Minutes
- Writers
- Ian MacAllister McDonald
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