Caught Up In the Game: Anna Kendrick starred in Woman of the Hour bringing awareness to women’s safety

Never trust a charming photographer. 

That was the less important takeaway from Netflix’s new movie, “Woman of the Hour.” More importantly, I gained appreciation for Anna Kendrick’s fierce role in advocating for women’s safety through her film director debut. 

In addition to spreading awareness through her carefully crafted character — representing real people — Kendrick is donating all of the proceeds to charities such as the Rape, Abuse & Incest National Network and the National Centre for Victims of Crime. 

The film follows an aspiring actress Sheryl Bradshaw, who’s played by Kendrick. Bradshaw finally gets a disappointing gig on a bachelorette TV show, where she crosses paths with Rodney Alcala, one of the contestants and not to mention a prolific serial killer from the 70’s. 

Alcala kills his victims by choking them. Throughout the movie, we see him kill several women before his initial encounter with Bradshaw on the show.

Sheryl Bradshaw is a smart, young woman who experiences difficulty finding work in Hollywood and navigating men’s condescending perception of her, often disregarding her because she’s a woman. 

This movie was perfect mix of true crime mixed with drama that kept me on the edge of my seat.

“Woman of the Hour” is a refreshing spin on typical crime fiction, with a strong, intelligent and capable female lead. Bradshaw’s typically cynical seeming perceptions of strangers helps her throughout the movie — her gut feeling was right. Bradshaw’s intellect is a pleasant shift from the classic “dumb blonde” depiction of women in Hollywood.

Kendrick successfully portrayed a woman’s gut feelings of unsafety, which are so often missed by male producers. “Woman of the Hour” is truly a movie by a woman, about a woman and for women.