Woman of the Hour (2024)

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DZ-124: Making the Despicable Compelling

How does Film Noir show us terrible people doing terrible things without endorsing it?

AI✦Examines how the film walks a line between classical and neo-noir depictions of brutality—showing the audience exactly how horrible the violence is while maintaining the killer’s superficial charm that makes women feel safe around him.✦

⏱ 1h 10m

Character · Theme · Structure | 30 JAN 2026

Listen if you need audiences to root for characters who do terrible things

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Mel and Chas continue to explore what Noir (the genre) can teach writers of all other genres. In particular:… →

Films: Devil in a Blue Dress (1995) , Woman of the Hour (2024) , Double Indemnity (1944) , The Long Goodbye (1973)

Character: Character Motivation , Moral Ambiguity , Character Arcs , Antiheroes , Character Agency , Unreliable Narrator

Theme: Worldview , Representation and Endorsement

Structure: Dramatic Questions

"A lot of classical noir is not direct about its depiction of brutality. And a lot of neo-noir is. And I think this film walks a really fascinating line where you know exactly how brutal and horrible it is."

— mel | DZ-124: Making the Despicable Compelling

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