A Garota da Vez

Greetings again from the darkness. As a lonely woman, being told you have the look of a model is a welcome compliment. As a runaway living on the streets, having a young man show an interest in you is a welcome development. As a single woman moving into an apartment and having a charming young man help move your furniture is a welcome occurrence. As a struggling actress, getting cast on a hit show is a welcome gig. What do all of these situations have in common? They feature vulnerable women who crossed paths with Rodney Alcala, an infamous serial rapist and murderer. This is the first feature film directed by uber-talented Anna Kendrick and it's a doozy.

Director Kendrick also stars as Cheryl Bradshaw, the struggling actress whom we first meet in one of her endless rounds of auditions where she doesn't get cast due to her physical appearance. It's one of a series of misogynistic scenarios that play out in this film written by Ian MacDonald and based on the true story of evil Rodney Alcala (played here by Daniel Zovatto). The film is set mostly in the late 1970's, although it bounces around a bit. We first see Alcala charming a woman in 1977 Wyoming by using his camera and photographic skills to instill a level of comfort and entice her into his car. Very little violence is shown on screen, but the aftermath is - leaving no doubt that Alcala is a monster.

Beyond the murders, what made Rodney Alcala headline-famous, was his 1978 appearance on "The Dating Game", a very popular TV show at the time (only we don't get to hear the iconic theme song, and there's no kiss thrown at the end). By pure coincidence, the bachelorette questioning the three bachelors that day was Cheryl Bradshaw. As the host of the show, Ed Burke (not Jim Lange, played by Tony Hale) adds to the misogyny of the times, while the hair and make-up ladies quietly cheer on Cheryl as she re-writes the second half questions exposing her level of frustration at playing an item of desire for three men. With no shortage of creepy or horrific moments, the film's best sequence involves Cheryl and Alcala walking through a poorly lit parking lot after an excessively awkward post-show drink. This sequence alone proves Ms. Kendrick's mettle as a filmmaker - the tension is nearly unbearable.

Rather than a straightforward re-telling of a psychopath's tales from the 1970's, the film adds layers by reminding us of what women faced in that era - from subtle lack of value to outright abuse and constant concern for their safety. Even Cheryl's interactions with her neighbor (Pete Holmes) displays challenges faced in ordinary settings. The 1979 San Gabriel segment with the runaway (Autumn Best) is both true and chilling, and yet further proof of how much leeway an educated white guy like Alcala could get away with (he had been previously questioned by police in 1977). If somehow you reach the end of the film and aren't totally sickened by Rodney Alcala, just try and keep it together while reading the last few slides regarding his trail of destruction - and just how courageous that final runaway proved to be.

Premieres on Netflix on October 18, 2024.

Aspiring actress Sheryl Bradshaw struggles to land her big break, to get her face seen, she agrees to go on a dating show, where she meets Rodney Alcala, unaware that she's interacting with a serial killer.

It's a good film, definitely well made and well acted, it's almost shocking to discover that the film is based on actual, real life events. A little research will detail just how monstrous Alcala was, he clearly committed multiple murders, and got away with it for years.

It's well paced and even though it jumps around the timeline a little, it's easy to follow. It's done in a way to show just how dangerous Alcala was, and how much danger Sheryl, our central character is in.

I'm a big fan of Anna Kendrick, and she did such a good job as Sheryl, she's great, Daniel Zovatto perhaps steals it, he's excellent as Alcala.

One scene that did confuse me a little, were they implying that Alcala was flirting with a guy, and trying to lure him to his death? It felt a little bizarre.

7/10.

I ended up being really frustrated watching this given the fact that I thought it had a really good hook. In the end the whole thing just ends up feeling like a series of short films only a couple of which I found to be engaging and when put together into one film it just ends up feeling repetitive. That's not to say it isn't effective, it is absolutely appropriately brutal its depiction of violence towards women but also in how it portrays the sexism of the 70's. The main thing that intrigued me about this movie was the idea of the game show portion and that ended feeling really undercooked and in the overall narrative it didn't ultimately amount to much. There are very effective sequences and it's very handsomely shot but it's so uneven that I couldn't help but feel disappointed in the final product.

This film does a good job of revealing the ways psychopaths often use charm to lure their victims. I appreciate the fact that the film is by no means a typical horror film or a typical psychological thriller. Most of the violent acts in this film are only portrayed via the events leading up to them (or after them), and so much of the actual violence is indirectly portrayed rather than actually being shown. It keeps things light enough -- and doesn't show enough actual violence -- in order for the film to remain watchable but at the same time, it is often very unsettling and disturbing. The scene in the parking lot after the taping of the Dating Game really perfectly conveyed the same feeling that the character played by Anna would be feeling at the time. It's as though I could literally feel her own fear and uneasiness. I think Anna's acting and directing in this film were superb, as was all of the acting in general. What I appreciate most about this film is its underlying message(s) or themes regarding how women can so easily fall prey to the darker side of the male ego and how manipulative some men can be when it comes to women, such as exploiting the innocence or vulnerability of women for their own selfish gain. I also appreciate how it shoes that society in general (and especially back then) actually encourages and often condones this kind of treatment toward women -- dehumanizing and objectifying them. And as the film shows, even intelligent women are susceptible to the charm of the psychopath -- and society alone can render them vulnerable. This message was not only delivered via the behavior and violence of "Rodney" but also via the behavior of a few other male characters in the film. Anyone hoping for a typical serial killer film is going to be disappointed with this one. But anyone hoping for something with more underlying depth will hopefully appreciate it.

This film spoke to me for a couple of reasons. I was a college student during the time depicted in this film, and I remember very well how naïve many young women were about how manipulative, conniving, and dangerous some men could be. I'm fortunate that nothing happened to me, because I certainly took some risks in situations where I should have known better. And then when something like a sexual crime did happen to a young woman, law enforcement didn't always take it seriously. They often thought the girl was asking for it because, for example, she was wearing a short skirt and walking alone at night.

The pacing of this film is deliberate and intense, and it switches back and forth between time frames and victims. I found it a little annoying at first, but it all made sense at the end. I thought Anna Kendrick and Daniel Zovatto played their roles extremely well. Zovatto came across as creepy AF. A few points are fictionalized, of course, and I'm not sure how much. I did some reading about Rodney Alcala, and the way he was apprehended is essentially accurate. If you can deal with the slow pace of this film, it's well worth the watch.