Woman of the Hour tries to tackle a real life story, and in that regard it falls on its face. In trying to tell a specific story, the film makes up characters, completely reinvents others, and ultimately ends up downplaying the serial killers degeneracy and, like so many of these, give him a smoothness that is inaccurate to history. (the real life character Kendrick played never went anywhere with him, noting he was “creepy”)
The other issue is that Anna Kendrick herself comes across very contemporary and feels out of place. Wardrobe, dialogue, and acting choices could have done a lot to make the character more believable to the period.
I get what the goal was with focusing around Kendrick’s character, her relationship with men at large, and the show, but I think the movie would have been better served without her prominence. It all felt a bit heavy handed and like it took up too much space. There is a more gripping story here, and it is the real one.