The Woman in Window is the latest film to feature an unreliable female protagonist. These characters are plagued by obsession, addiction, and self-destruction. Their dark twisty stories make us question our understanding of the plot and the integrity of the storyteller.
Now, this sounds like a pretty niche character type, but trust me, best-selling novels and top grossing films are chock full of them. In fact, they are so common in both literature and film that they’ve received a backlash in recent years, with critics arguing that they undermine the believability of real women. However, many of these characters are ultimately vindicated, just as Anna is eventually proven right at the end of the film. So, does The Women in the Window succumb to the Unreliable Female Narrator Trope or does it subvert it? In this analysis, I’ll try to answer that question, so stick around, subscribe, and let’s find out.
The trope of the unreliable female protagonist or narrator may come from the ancient idea of female hysteria. This was once a common diagnosis for women who experienced symptoms such as anxiety, fainting and strange sexual behaviour. It was believed to only affect women because of the questionable thinking that the womb could travel throughout a female’s body “blocking passages, obstructing breathing, and causing disease”.
Whilst, thankfully, it is no longer considered a disease, the idea of female hysteria may have infected literature. This is because a disproportionate number of unreliable narrators are women. Just look at some of the best-selling books from the past two decades; many of which have been made into films or TV shows. In no particular order, there’s The Girl on the Train, Gone Girl, Sharp objects, An Anonymous girl, The Wife Between Us, and of course, The Woman in the Window.
The story behind The Woman in the Window is essentially a retelling of Alfred Hitchcock’s, Rear Window, except now there’s a female observer behind the lens. Like Jeff, the lead character in Hitchcock’s thriller, Anna thinks she’s witnessed a murder in a neighbouring apartment. But where Jeff is mocked by his detective friend for having an overactive imagination, Anna is told that her agoraphobia and diet of psychiatric meds means she can’t possibly have seen what she claims. This shows us that the tone of the story shifts significantly when the unreliable observer is female. Not only do we as the audience doubt their version of events, but we’re also made to question their sanity. This is taken to such an extreme that Anna even begins to doubt herself.
The change of gender between Jeff in Rear Window and Anna in The Woman in the Window, suggests that, for an unreliable protagonist to be convincing, they also need to be a woman. Therefore, Anna’s characterisation hearkens back to the long history of female hysteria. She is infantilised by male authorities; told she is neurotic and has her testimony disregarded even when she fears for his life.
This is damaging because the stereotype of the unreliable female narrator can cast doubt on the testimonies of real women. Take the case of Rose McGowan for example. Back in 2017, she accused Harvey Weinstein of sexual assault as part of the metoo movement. Instead of taking her allegations seriously, lawyers pounced on her sometimes-erratic behaviour, troubled childhood and emotional fragility to undermine her version of events.
Okay so by now it’s pretty clear that the unreliable female narrator is a problematic trope. Does that mean we should all shun The Woman in The Window? It’s not that simple. As I mentioned at the start, Anna’s version of events is revealed to be correct at the end of the film. She did in fact witness a murder and the Russells were behind it all along. Anna learns that she should never have doubted herself and the audience learns that they should listen to women, even if they are painted as unreliable.
The question is whether Anna’s vindication is strong enough to undo the damage of reproducing a dangerous stereotype. At the end of the day, The Woman in the Window still plays into a dark history of female hysteria. A history that tells us unreliable, neurotic characters like Anna need to be women if they are to be convincing. Otherwise, the movie might not have achieved that same atmosphere of claustrophobic menace that keeps viewers glued to the screen. Equally, by latching on to this stereotype, the movie dramatically subverts our expectations, as all good thrillers do. In doing so, it might help dismantle the unreliable female narrator trope and actually strengthen the testimonies of real women.
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