The Woman In The Window (2021)

Despite some delicious jump scares (and an excellent performance from Amy Adams) this thriller is as disorientated as its heroine.

What is The Woman In The Window about?

An agoraphobic woman spies an act of violence from her window and suspects the worst of her mysterious neighbours.

Where can you watch The Woman In The Window?

It’s available on Netflix (including Netflix SA).

Trigger Warnings:

Violence. Threat.

My review of The Woman In The Window

This poor movie was doomed from the start. Test screenings led to re-edits, and then it was delayed due to COVID-19. Finally, the rights were sold to Netflix and it was released on the streaming platform in May 2021. It might as well have been scrapped. The source material deserved better and so did the movie’s cast.

Also, just a quick P.S: Who the heck thought up the movie’s tagline? “She has nothing to prove but what’s real” is copywriting trying to be smart, but instead it’s contrived and unoriginal. But its worst crime: forcing you to think twice (or three times…) so you can understand it.

Amy Adams and Julianne Moore in The Woman In The Window | from IMDB.com

The direction is aimless, while the plot narrative is muddled and bewildering. The dialogue is weak, and the mystery (while clever in the book) is hard to believe and inconsequential in the movie. The characters (except for Anna) have no depth or backstory; despite a great cast, they’re all so poorly written that no one makes an impression.

But, I do love three aspects of the movie: Amy Adams, the cinematography, and the scares. Adams always gives excellent performances, and in this film she’s no different - even if the role is weak. She conveys her character’s grief powerfully, and it’s so moving to watch.

Maybe the cinematography is a bit dizzying, but I personally loved it. The camera angles are unique and there are some gorgeous shots.

Another aspect I enjoyed was the jump scares. The transitions between scenes are often very sudden, so this coupled with the cinematography makes for frightening and unexpected moments. I loved the thrill of it.

Have you seen The Woman In The Window? What did you think of it?