The Woman in the Window (Joe Wright, 2021), like the book that gave rise to it (by writer A. J. Finn), is openly inspired by the 1954 Hitchcockian classic, Rear Window. In fact, at the beginning of the film, when we see, in close-up, a television with the image of James Stewart being asphyxiated, we realize that this evidence is being played with, perhaps in a tone of announcing the final confrontation between the protagonist and the villain. Furthermore, the setting in front of the house of the woman in the window is very similar to the one in Alfred Hitchcock's film (although less captivating) and even Gary Oldman's stark white hair is reminiscent of Raymond Burr's thick hair. The photo camera also plays an essential role in the voyeurism that drives the plot. In this film, Joe Wright proves, once again, the refinement of his camera, capturing everything with elegance and taking us through the rooms of the character's house, almost in a labyrinthine way, as if it were her mind.
It is always her perspective that is given to us, whether inside or outside. Amy Adams, in the lead role, conveys the anguish, mental confusion, despair, inherent to her character. It doesn't seem to me that the film has any intentions of being equal to Rear Window, a masterpiece that proves to be so in the opening sequence. It's a good entertainment product, with some interesting moments of tension and surprise, which the thriller genre demands. I see it only as a tribute to the master's universe.
It is always her perspective that is given to us, whether inside or outside. Amy Adams, in the lead role, conveys the anguish, mental confusion, despair, inherent to her character. It doesn't seem to me that the film has any intentions of being equal to Rear Window, a masterpiece that proves to be so in the opening sequence. It's a good entertainment product, with some interesting moments of tension and surprise, which the thriller genre demands. I see it only as a tribute to the master's universe.