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Ed: That signals the end of our game

Tale

Sheryl Bradshaw, a single woman looking for a suitor for a hit 1970s television series, chooses charming bachelor Rodney Alcala, unaware that behind the man’s gentle facade lies a deadly secret. Some of Sheryl’s bad experiences as an aspiring actress mirror those of Anna Kendrick. The comment about Sheryl’s breasts is “taken verbatim from something that happened to me when I was 19.” Towards the end of the film, her name is spelled Cheryl in one of the narrations revealing what happened after the film. Her name is actually spelled Sheryl, which was correct in the cast list. So, Cheryl, it’s time to make a decision!. Quoted in CTV News at Six Toronto: Episode dated September 8, 2023 (2023).

Greetings from the darkness again

For a lonely woman, being told you look like a model is a welcome compliment. For a runaway living on the streets, having a young man show interest in her is a welcome development. For a single woman, moving into an apartment and having a charming young man help her move furniture is a welcome development. For a struggling actress, being cast in a hit show is a welcome job. What do all of these situations have in common? They involve vulnerable women whose paths cross that of Rodney Alcala, a notorious serial rapist and murderer.

The film is mostly set in the late 1970s, although it jumps around a bit

This is the first feature film directed by the uber-talented Anna Kendrick – and it’s a blast. Director Kendrick also stars Cheryl Bradshaw, the struggling actress we first meet during one of her endless rounds of auditions where she doesn’t get a role because of her looks. 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 the evil Rodney Alcala (played here by Daniel Zovatto). We first see Alcala charm a woman in Wyoming in 1977, using his camera and photography skills to give her a sense of comfort and lure her into his car. Very little violence is shown, but the aftermath is – and leaves no doubt that Alcala is a monster. In addition to the murders, Rodney Alcala made headlines for 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 at the end).

That scene alone proves Ms

By pure coincidence, the Bachelorette who questioned the three bachelors that day was Cheryl Bradshaw. As host of the show, Ed Burke (not Jim Lange, played by Tony Hale) plays into the misogyny of the era, while the hair and makeup ladies quietly cheer Cheryl on as she rephrases the second-half questions, revealing her frustration at playing an object of desire for three men. There’s no shortage of creepy or horrifying moments, but the film’s best scene is the one in which Cheryl and Alcala walk through a poorly lit parking lot after an overly awkward post-show drink. Kendrick’s skill as a filmmaker — the tension is almost unbearable. Rather than simply retelling the stories of a 1970s psychopath, the film adds layers by reminding us what women experienced in that era — from subtle worthlessness to outright abuse and constant worry about their safety. Even Cheryl’s dealings with her neighbor (Pete Holmes) show the challenges one faces in ordinary situations.

Premieres on Netflix October 18, 2024

The 1979 San Gabriel segment with the runaway (Autumn Best) is both true and terrifying, and further proof of how much leeway an educated white man like Alcala could allow himself (he had already been questioned by police in 1977). If you somehow made it to the end of the film and Rodney Alcala doesn’t completely disgust you, just try to pull yourself together as you read the final slides about his trail of destruction — and how brave that final runaway proved to be.