Hitchcock does it better, ambiguous thriller that is.
The Woman in the Window
The struggle between appearance and reality has been a staple in fiction since even before Oedipus thought he ruled his kingdom. More recently knowing whether the ghosts are real or not anchors the uncertain reality of Henry James’s Turn of the Screw. Of course, in the cinematic universe, Alfred Hitchcock has no equal—his work is riddled with characters who think they know the truth but alas are clueless, as his audience is. Hitch is not called the master of suspense for nothing.
When A.J. Finn claimed fame recently for his thriller novel, The Woman in the Window, part of his success was evoking the uncertainty of what his titular character, Anna (Amy Adams), sees through a window just as Jeff did through his long camera lens in Rear Window. As a psychologist, she might be expected to control her perception, but, alas, irony rules her little world.
Because she is agoraphobic, she not only secludes herself inside, but she also distances herself from the daily intercourse that would keep her in contact with reality. Director Joe Wright and writer Tracy Letts (also playing Anna’s shrink) keep us guessing about the reality of what she sees, allowing the jump scares and suspicions to arise in an unremarkable thriller.
Background checks help unravel the uncertainty of her perceptions, including the old haunted-house theme of domestic memories plaguing the spacious Harlem brownstone. Having separated from her husband Ed (Anthony Mackie cut down in the editing to a cameo) and losing custody of their daughter, child psychologist Anna has nothing else to do but ruminate about her losses, divert herself from alcohol, and spy on new white, gentrifying neighbors (Anna is probably the only other white in the hood).
Not that this is all the action, for Anna thinks she sees new neighbor Jane Russell (Joanna Moore) being stabbed by husband Alastair (underused Gary Oldman). This uncertainty is eventually unraveled, leaving us with a heightened awareness of the accuracy of what we think we see and the hidden intentions of our fellow humans.
This cinematic adaptation of The Woman in the Window may be too beholden to the original, which had old horror, thriller tropes a plenty, and the tired idea of a wacked-out psychologist on her spying own. Amy Adams helps save it from complete obscurity just as Netflix has done by streaming it.
John and Mary will do the same on their NPR It’s Movie Time show next Friday, May 21.
The Woman in the Window
Director: Joe Wright (Darkest Hour, Atonement)
Screenplay: Tracy Letts (August: Osage County), based on A.J. Finn novel
Cast: Amy Adams (Hillbilly Elegy), Gary Oldman (Mank)
Run Time: 1h 40m
Rating: R
John DeSando, a Los Angeles Press Club first-place winner for National Entertainment Journalism, hosts WCBE’s It’s Movie Time and co-hosts Cinema Classics. Contact him at JohnDeSando62@gmail.com
