It is said that reality often surpasses fiction, and the story of photographer Rodney Alcala proves it.
It is estimated that Alcala may have murdered up to 130 victims – mostly women – in the 1970s. While this was happening, he participated in the television show The Dating Game, where three men competed for the attention of a woman.
In The Dating Game Killer (whose original title is less sensational: Woman of the Hour), actress Anna Kendrick makes her debut behind the camera to direct herself in the role of Sheryl, the contestant who participated in the show that day and eventually realizes that something is wrong. The film moves between two aspects. On the one hand, we follow Alcala (a chilling Daniel Zovatto) and witness his modus operandi, with an extremely disturbing opening sequence and that charismatic facade that hides his psychopathic side. On the other hand, we follow Sheryl and her hectic career as an actress, until she comes to this program and seeks to turn around the superficial aspects of the format.
Although these two plot lines are completely different, Kendrick and screenwriter Ian McDonald manage to wrap it all in a coherent and entertaining package, mixing black humor with suspense and adding a touch of denunciation that, miraculously, works.
If anything, it is evident that Kendrick seeks to criticize the sexism of the time, giving her character a more disruptive -and modern- personality than the woman she plays really had. The approach is debatable, but it’s certainly there to amplify the message about how women are seen as disposable, not only by a killer on the prowl, but by society as well. The film, which premiered at the Toronto Film Festival last year, could have been a disaster of tone and intention, but Kendrick emerges as a director to watch, and she surrounds herself with a talented team that makes the most of the time, the history and, above all, what it wants to convey.
THE DATING GAME KILLER
three stars
Directed by: Anna Kendrick Starring: Anna Kendrick, Daniel Zovatto and Tony Hale Duration: 94 min.
#Dating #Game #Killer #Dark #humor #suspense