#fred hechinger

The lady vanishes

The Woman in the Window has taken a while to see the light of day. Which is funny, because so has its agoraphobic protagonist. An adaptation of the hit thriller novel by A. J. Finn, its release was penned in by multiple reshoots and a pandemic. Finally releasing on Netflix, the end result sadly has all the hallmarks of a troubled production - be warned, it’s a bit of a mess.

We follow Anna Fox (Amy Adams), an agoraphobic child’s psychiatrist who has a fear of leaving her house. Anna spends her time snooping on the neighbours, but she is spurred into action when she witnesses the murder of Jane Russell (Julianne Moore), a new neighbour she had befriended. But did she really see the murder, or did her anxiety meds make her imagine it all?

Directed by Joe Wright, the film can’t be accused of lacking style. The obvious touchstone here is Hitchcock’s Rear Window, which is referenced in the very first frame. As Anna tries to piece together what she saw, her reliability as a narrator is repeatedly questioned by the police and the Russell family. While we don’t immediately know the cause of Anna’s condition, the oppressive sense of space and sudden camera jolts give you a glimpse into her paranoid mind.

Despite admirable intentions, the attempt to link the film to old-school mystery thrillers never translates and ends up quite laughable (there’s a random splatter of blood during a dream sequence). Adapted by screenwriter Tracey Letts, the film’s uneven pacing prevents it from building up much tension, meaning that some potentially interesting twists never really have the desired impact.

It also lumbers Oscar-level actors with pretty thankless roles. Gary Oldman doesn’t have much to do as Jane’s aggressive husband, Julianne Moore slightly overdoes it as his jittery housewife, while Fred Hechinger struggles to convince as Jane’s peculiar son. Adams probably fares best in nailing Anna’s splintering sense of mind state, but even she can’t save some of the clunky dialogue on display here. This could have been a tense mystery thriller in the mould of Invisible Woman, but instead it’s a film that you’re probably better off not seeing.

With its overwrought performances and messy plotting, The Woman in the Window feels like a TV movie – you wouldn’t want to leave your house to see this.

★★

• … ◡ !ᦸᩚ ꢯᴥᩚ! ᨏ୨♡୧ ⊹俊臘/ nEw pOst. ㍈/✿ Zzz ɘ̲ ｡ 额!! 外的 ## lOv3..ʕ·ᴥ·ʔ 민첑… 私の新しい投稿!!

The White Lotus (2021-present)