The film, which Kendrick told The Independent is the “ most revealing piece of work I’ve ever done”, focuses on Rodney Alcala, who appeared on The Dating Game, a Blind Date style show, in 1978. Alcala was 35 years old when he appeared on the show and had reportedly already murdered at least five people, including a pregnant woman and a child.

The main reason for that is Anna Kendrick, who makes a formidable, clear-eyed directorial debut in addition to playing Bradshaw. Using plenty of her own career experiences, Kendrick presents Bradshaw’s story as a grimly common one of pervasive,