After a long-anticipated and turbulent wait, The Woman in the Window is finally here.
Based on A.J Finn’s novel of the same name, the eminent, star-studded film was released to Netflix on May 14th.
Directed by Joe Wright and written by Tracy Letts, the hundred-minute psychological thriller follows Anna Fox (Amy Adams), a child psychologist and agoraphobe who peeks on neighbours and drinks too much. After witnessing the grisly crime of a new neighbour, the film follows Anna as she undergoes a perilous journey trying to figure out what has happened to them. Encountering shocking revelations and conflicts with her own past, Anna is confronted with the hard-boiled truth that nothing and nobody are who they seem to be.
With engrossing plot twists, suspenseful situations and mind-bending perplexity that leaves us questioning what is really going on, The Woman in the Window certainly stimulates and shines, at least for the first hour or so.
It goes without saying that Amy Adams brings life, rawness, and talent into every inch of the film. Straying from melodramatics and staying convincing within her role, Adams stains this film with acting that not only solidifies her talents, but also paves a seat for her in the thriller genre, and one only hopes she will sit in it time and time again.
But it is not only Adams that is scintillating. With each actor (particularly Gary Oldman, Julianne Moore, and Wyatt Russell) submersing into their role, the screen is somewhat lit up with aptitude and talent.
Additionally, Wright’s directing must also be accredited. With superb, memorable shots throughout, and some taken as though from Anna’s point of view, Wright creates a certain level of intimacy between the audience and the screen.
Also, using his directorial hand to be quite inventive (such as showing the picture Anna takes of her cat, Punch, on our screen rather than just showing it on her phone), Wright’s directing is experimental, compulsive and (aside from the acting) is the film’s pinnacle.
However, this spark that the film upholds somewhat dissipates in the last quarter.
With the likes of that slightly overly dramatic rooftop scene, Ethan’s somewhat under-developed reasoning for turning on other characters and moments of sheer convenience that work in and against the character’s favour (such as when Anna needs a certain picture and she ‘accidentally’ knocks her laptop over and smashes it), the film seems to turn on itself towards the end.
One of the best features of the film’s script is that, for a large portion of it, we are unsure as to whether Anna is delusional or if there is in fact something sinister going on. Thus, when the film ends on a tie-a-neat-bow-around-it approach, it serves to disenchant to a large degree, and one could say it would have been better left on an ambiguous note.
All in all, The Woman in the Window is worth the watch, and, despite its ending scenes, is worth the wait too. But hey, why not see for yourself?
Featured Image Credit: Slashfilm
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