The Woman in the Window: Is Amy Adams’ Thriller Worth It?

Adams plays an agoraphobic woman who must convince the authorities that she witnessed a murder.

The woman at the window was later than we expected, but the delay was worth it.

Based on the novel by AJ Finn, The Woman in the Window, or The Woman in the Window, it presents Amy Adams as a child psychologist who suffers from a psychological disorder that causes her to feel a terror that paralyzes her every time she tries to get out of his house. Anna Fox ( Adams ) spends her time at home, wearing robes, pajamas and not taking too much care of her appearance, in addition to usually accompanying her days with a few glasses of wine.

Her agoraphobia and preference for alcohol immediately make her an unreliable storyteller, so when she witnesses a violent crime, we know it won’t be easy for her to prove her side of events or convince others to help her in this twisty thriller. Gothic noir directed by Joe Wright , the same man who gave us Pride and Prejudice and Atonement.

It all starts with a nightmare, a panning through a lonely and empty house, accompanied by the music of the great Danny Elfman , who created a soundtrack that goes from the subtle to the unstable and haunting, reminiscent of great works like Jaws or The Exorcist.

Then we notice something important, agoraphobia comes from a place of pain (partly because of what happened between her, her husband and her daughter), and it has Anna Fox trapped in more ways than it seems, she is isolated, bored, frustrated and not knowing how to continue, and it is a crime to push her out of her comfort zone.

Why watch it? Worth it?

In the style of Gone Girl, Girl on the Train and Rear Window

The woman in the window is a clear tribute to cinema noir, you can even see a scene from Alfred Hitchcock’s Rear Window at the beginning of the film, and that tells us many from before it begins.

With shades of blue, pink and yellow, the film sets the tone for us and talks about how that apartment is the only safe place for Anna Fox, who takes a page from James Stewart’s book and spends her bored hours looking through the window to live precariously through their neighbors, who are not aware that there are “birds on the wire.”

That is the starting point, Anna is dedicated to observing, and strangely that is the first sign that things are about to get aggressive, noisy and dangerous, first with a slight interruption in her routine, and then with an incident that takes her to face his worst nightmare.

The first to arrive is a teenager named Ethan, then we see his father ( Gary Oldman ) and finally his mother ( Julianne Moore ), who seems to be as out of control as Anna, albeit in a different way.

Amy Adams, Julianne Moore and Gary Oldman

Between all the protagonists of the film there are about 15 Oscar nominations. In addition to an appearance by Wyat Russell (aka US Agent) and Anthony Mackie , the story is told in Amy Adams , who again amazes with her incredible ability to transform from a glamorous actress to all kinds of characters, which this time is a woman. to the limit and about to explode.

Later we are introduced to Julianne Moore, who shows up to rescue Anna after a group of children throw eggs at her house for not leaving Halloween candy. Moore is Jane Russell, who is later the woman Anna is sure to have seen being killed by her husband, in an incident for which there is no evidence or other witnesses.

Then we have Gary Oldman, who plays a charismatic and kind man, who soon reveals his true colors and transforms into a kind of ghoulish villain who knows very well how to keep up appearances.

A “peculiar” crime, with many unexpected twists

Did the crime really happen or was it just Anna’s mind playing a bad prank on her? That’s what she must discover when no one is willing to take her word for it or help her.

And things do not end there, there is a second Janes Russell (in a twist that seems to be taken from Hitchcock’s The Lady Vanishes ), who tries to make Anna believe that everything is in her mind, that she did not see what she thinks she saw and that perhaps, she needs more help than she gives to the children who come to her office (or is she the real Jane? You have to find out for yourself). Like what happened to Mia Farrow’s Rosemary when she tries to explain to her doctors that her satanic neighbors are doing something with her baby.

The Woman in the Window is not the most innovative story, we already saw something similar in The Girl on the Train and in many films of the 60s, 70s, 80s and today, but it is an entertaining thriller with great music, great performances and twists and turns that keep you hooked, and that’s what matters (although it does have some moments that you probably won’t love, it’s not a perfect movie, it’s just entertaining).

The best parts of the film are the music, the photography and, as always, Amy Adams.