Now streaming on Netflix.
[Rating: Swiss Fist]
Delays upon delays set The Woman in the Window back so many times, there was a point that nobody would ever think they would see this film. I myself read the book based on the novel by A.J. Finn nearly three years ago, hoping for a release closer to my read. Now, with Netflix securing the streaming rights, the ultimate product is a confusing conundrum of questionable choices that would have Hitchcock scratching his head with just what went wrong with this film.
Anna Fox (Amy Adams) is a child psychologist and agoraphobic who shields herself inside her large New York apartment. In her basement lives tenant David (Wyatt Russell), who helps Anna with any upkeep around her house. When she sees new neighbors across the street, son Ethan Russell (Fred Hechinger) pays a visit to Anna as does her mother Jane (Julianne Moore). Anna and Jane converse one night over drinks and become friendly. However, things start to get suspicious when Alistair Russell (Gary Oldman) questions if Anna had met his wife the night prior. Later that night, from across the street and through her window, Anna sees something very suspicious happening in the Russell household. When police are involved (Brian Tyree Henry as Detective Little), Anna soon comes to discover that Jane Russell is now somebody completely different, NOT the woman she met the previous night. Who is this Jane Russell (Jennifer Jason Leigh) and why is she claiming they never met, even though they did…or did they?
If any of this sounds confusing, it is. To really get into this film, one has to pay full attention to what is occurring and look at it from Anna’s world. As she is limited in scope, we as audiences are as well and question every statement she makes to police and every chance she drifts in and out of reality.
Director Joe Wright has made such grand films with characters that are inspiring, and yet I found Anna annoying in her constant presence of wanting to know the truth, but not really doing much about it. I understand where she comes from in not trusting anybody around her, but she needed to have some sort of force to push herself outside and investigate further. Don’t even get me started about the finale, which I will not spoil. It is however, the most bat-shit crazy of choices this movie could have thought of.
Maybe the reshoots and delays on this film helped it, but we will never know. What we do know however is the final product of this is about as jacked up as whatever moments Anna has everytime she flashes back and her neighbors just stare at her. This is a confining film that I didn’t hate and didn’t love either. I’m in the middle ground of hoping this could meet the expectations I had three years ago, and ultimately I too am even befuddled with what I saw.
For film fans out there who want to view films dealing with people staring out windows and witnessing shady doings, try The Window (1949), Rear Window (1954), or Witness to Murder (1954).
Christian Ramos is a classic film fan, having had the dream to host Turner Classic Movies for years now. He also has a large amount of Oscar trivia in his head, remembers dressing as Groucho Marx one Halloween, and cherishes the moment Julianne Moore liked his tweet.
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