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Content note: this article refers to a movie that includes assault and murder.
Woman of the Hour is the latest 'inspired by true crime film' thriller to hit Netflix following a quiet mid-SAG-AFTRA strike premiere in 2023 at the Toronto International Film Festival. The film is a dramatised look at the life and crimes of serial killer Rodney Alcala, who famously appeared on the original run of The Dating Game.' (The inspiration for the Australian show 'Perfect Match') as one of three eligible charming, young bachelors competing for a date with Cheryl Bradshaw before being caught years later and eventually convicted of murdering eight people.
The film is the directorial debut of pitch perfect star Anna Kendrick and tells a gripping tale that tells the story of Acala and his horrific crimes through the story of the female contestant, Sheryl (Kendrick) - note the change from C to S for the dramatisation - is a struggling actress whose task is to choose a bachelor to date through a series of questions without ever seeing them or learning their name, age, or occupation.
She eventually picks Acala as the winner of her episode of 'The Dating Game', and the pair win a trip together. Luckily, after the show, Sheryl goes for drinks with her winner and finds him creepy. Through a series of fortunate events, she narrowly avoids becoming another victim. While this detail is fiction, it rings eerily accurate to Sheryl's experience of finding him weird backstage and choosing not to go on the paid-for date (a tennis lesson).
The movie expertly darts between documenting Acala's crimes, the times he was almost stopped and Sheryl's uncomfortable experiences with men, with a particularly disgusting performance by Tony Hale that will make you feel sick. However, it's essential to know that this is not a man's story, with every female character portrayed by an ensemble of great female actresses powerfully and empoweringly representing the victims of Acala and standing up to blatant sexism in the film.
In particular, Autumn Best (The 4400, 2021 series) gives an impressive performance, portraying one of the film's only 'real' people and not a representation or amalgamation of several real-life characters.
In her first film performance, Best plays Amy, a free-spirited teenage runaway who survives an encounter with Rodney. She is a talented actress who fully embodies the spirit and tenacity of a headstrong teen and can easily hold her own against a truly creepy portrayal of Acala by Daniel Zovatto that will make your skin crawl.
Despite being a perfect fit for the character, Best admits she didn't think she would get the role because of her upper limb difference in an interview with Variety. She admitted, "Every time I get an audition for something that's a real-life story, I immediately write it off," she explained. Because I convinced myself that no one would ever want to hire me to portray a real person who didn't have a limb difference."
Sadly, despite the twists and changes to the real story, Best's fear of pre-judgement is valid in entertainment. Impairment-blind casting is still not commonplace. The only other mainstream example I can think of, of a visibly disabled actress was cast for a non-disability specific role dates back to 2016 when tony-award winner Ali Stoker portrayed Ado Annie in the revival of 'Oklahoma!' on Broadway.
It's ridiculous that in 2024, casting disabled actors is still seen as a commercial risk (hopefully, Marissa Bode's casting as Nessarose in the upcoming 'Wicked' screen adaption will continue to break this barrier).
I'm not lost on the fact that it's incredibly odd to laud a film about a serial killer about its disability representation. Still, this film, Kendrick's directorial debut, commendably never uses Best's limb difference as a plot point, showing her directorial skill. Kendrick never used Best's impairment to elicit sympathy or to portray Amy as weaker- it's never even mentioned in the film. It is just a part of the fictional portrayal of Amy. I wouldn't be surprised if a large amount of viewers don't even realise that Best has a disability. This film is full of brave choices as it is presented for a female audience, to the point it may confuse male viewers. (Note to all film fans, the carpark scene is brilliant!) Still, to me, the way Best's brilliant performance was presented is its most atypical choice.
On a personal note, as a person with disability, I am surprisingly, even to myself, saddened by how little Best's disability has been mentioned in the promotion of this film. Don't get me wrong, I'm thrilled it's not a talking point, and as a fan of Kendrick, I would've watched this anyway. Still, it wasn't until the cast of the film was on 'The Kelly Clarkson Show doing an amusing daytime talk show interview that Clarkson awkwardly shoved into a conversation about 'representation', funnily enough without ever saying the word 'disability' and Best discussed her experience.
Again, I applaud her limb difference, which is not the focal point. Still, I worry talking about it has been avoided so much, that the future Best's of the world may not realise that there is a powerful, independent key supporting actress with disability in this film and that's such a shame. It feels like this film is handling disability in such a progressive way that a mainstream audience won't feel its impact. Upon reflection, I can't be too sad about that.
Who knew a film about a killer from the 70s could be so far ahead of it's time?