Academy Award nominee Anna Kendrick (Up in the Air) makes her directorial debut with Woman of the Hour, a period crime drama centred around a game show where one of the contestants is an unidentified serial killer.

Kendrick stars as Sheryl, a down-and-out actor who hasn’t secured her bearings since moving to Los Angeles to fulfil her dreams of an acting career. When offered a role as a “bachelorette avidly searching for true love”, and after feeling objectified during auditions and by her greasy neighbour (comedian Pete Holmes), Sheryl isn’t thrilled about the opportunity but begrudgingly accepts. During the broadcast, Sheryl continues to face brash attitudes from men, including from the condescending host (Tony Hale of Eat Wheaties!). While finding a way to spin the misogynistic show on its ear, one of the mysterious “hired” bachelors has a transfixing presence. Unbeknowst to the show’s production, this contestant, Rodney (Daniel Zovatto), has been on a cross-country murder-spree. Notably, targeting women.

The messier moments of Woman of the Hour are not because of Kendrick’s inexperience as a filmmaker. In fact, her direction is the best part of this film. Director Paul Feig, who directed Kendrick in A Simple Favour, is thanked in the end credits of Woman of the Hour and I can’t help but feel like this previous collaboration may have worked as an impromptu mentorship for Kendrick’s filmmaking debut. Just as Feig transitioned from making comedies like Bridesmaids and The Heat to the thriller A Simple Favour, Kendrick makes a smooth transition from being the face of lighthearted fare (the Pitch Perfect franchise) to making an unrelenting and suspenseful true crime film. Rodney’s elusive and violent nature is recognized in Woman of the Hour, and the run-ins he has with unsuspecting women are tough to watch. An encounter that starts off friendly and ends with Rodney resuscitating his victim so he can kill them again sets the bar in Woman of the Hour. However, as brief and occasionally baggy as these scenes are, the movie doesn’t treat these women as killer fodder and, instead, gives these characters wholehearted and well performed backstories.

While this context is also provided by relatively-green screenwriter Ian McDonald, the narrative isn’t prioritized well. A thin sub-plot features someone in the studio audience identifying Rodney, followed by their PTSD that isn’t taken seriously by anyone around them. This has lots of potential for conflict towards the climax of the film (as equal to the live exorcism that takes place during Late Night with the Devil), but it’s sacrificed to make another point towards the inequality women experience. An absolutely important issue that’s addressed in other, more sufficient ways in Kendrick’s movie; through Rodney’s vignettes and Sheryl’s personal experience. Even then, it feels as though McDonald has trouble toggling through these non-chronological events, suggesting that a straightforward timeline may have been a better form to follow.

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Addison Wylie: @AddisonWylie