In the end, finally, after all the hype, Netflix releases Anna Kendrick‘s directorial debut with Woman of the Hour, in which the story of a haunting tale which works up to its twist based on the infamous serial killer Rodney Alcala-who actually once appeared on The Dating Game back in the 1970s. On paper, however, it was no easy ride to get a script translated into screen. For Kendrick, writing was “grueling,” but rewarding.
Speaking in a recent interview, Kendrick spoke at length about how hard she had tried to adapt the screenplay while truly highlighting emotionally draining moments in fetching such darkness or complexity of the story. “It’s really hard to walk that fine line between truth and creative liberty, especially when you’re dealing with real people’s lives,” Kendrick shared. “I wanted to stay respectful to the victims while also ensuring that the story didn’t lose its cinematic tension.”
Written with Ian MacAllister McDonald, the screenplay had gone through several draft copies before it finally came out right. Kendrick admitted her perfectionism side as the one that dragged their process to take too long a time. “We spent endless nights just redoing scenes to get them right,” she said. “Sometimes days were just round and round in circles, but that’s the point. The thing is, you’re trying not to lose authenticity while creating suspenseful, really interesting storytelling.”
Kendrick is an actor as well, and brought a unique perspective to the writing process. “I came to the script with both a director’s and an actor’s perspective,” she said. “That helped me think about how each character’s arc could play out meaningfully on screen.”.
The film’s journey to Netflix also featured a kind of bidding war among various streaming platforms eager to try their hands in securing the rights to the gripping story. At the end, the result of this bidding war saw the rights bagged by Netflix, believing the vision of Kendrick and chillingly penned true-crime narrative would resonate with its substantial global audience.
With Woman of the Hour, the 34-year-old proves once again why he’s not only an excellent actor but also a bold and scrappy filmmaker with a sharp sense for storytelling. With his first Netflix flick finally out, Kendrick has directed a lesson in traversing the tough grind from page to screen, and the end product is a blunt film that will keep everyone talking long after the credits end.
