THE WOMAN IN THE WINDOW

An updated version of Alfred Hitchcock's REAR WINDOW, THE WOMAN IN THE WINDOW stars Amy Adams as Anna Fox. A child psychologist who suffers from agoraphobia, a condition that gives her panic attacks and anxiety whenever she leaves her home. Confined, isolated, and self medicating with alcohol and pills, Anna is the nosy neighbor of the block, spying on anyone with an open blind to pass the time (and I have to point out the fact that ALL of her neighbors have their blinds open, which is pretty strange for New York, but I digress). The Russell family (comprising of Ethan, Alistair, and Jane - played by Fred Hechinger, Gary Oldman, and Julianne Moore/Jennifer Jason Leigh respectively) quickly move in across the street. On Halloween night, Anna (pretending not to be home in order not to have to pass out candy to the neighborhood children) attempts to go outside and shoo away said children, who are egging her house. Before she is able to, she passes out and wakes up with Jane (Julianne Moore) in her house, who brought her inside. They introduce themselves and tell their backstories over drinks. Anna is happy and proud of the fact she's able to connect and make new friends. However, one night she hears a scream coming from the Russell's house across the street and believes Jane (Julianne Moore) is murdered. After calling the police, the Russell's and police believe Anna to be nothing more than a crazy drug addict as Jennifer Jason Leigh is then introduced as the real Jane Russell. The rest of the film is a mess, immersing the audience into Anna's drug and alcohol infused lose of reality. It's purposefully disorienting, attempting to decipher fact from fiction until the real story is finally ironed out at the end; however, by that time, any momentum the film has gained has already lost its steam and I'm waiting for the credits to roll. Great performances by Amy Adams and Gary Oldman, but unfortunately, neither of them can save this flop. 5/10