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Set in New York during the infamous ‘Summer of Sam’, The Wolf Hour is a slow-burning psychological thriller, starring Naomi Watts at the top of her game.

It’s 1977 and there’s a feverish heatwave paralysing New York city and a serial killer on the loose. Locked inside in her dilapidated Bronx apartment – a self-imposed confinement – reclusive feminist writer June Leigh grapples with the ghosts of her past and present: the breakthrough novel that brought her fame also brought down her financier father … or so June believes. With her state of mind already on the brink, and the world outside ready to implode, a persistent and mysterious stranger at her door is the last thing June needs.

As June’s isolation ratchets up her paranoia, the sense of anxiety and tension in Alistair Banks Griffin’s brooding and jumpy film is stretched to breaking point. Also featuring Jennifer Ehle and The OA’s Emory Cohen, The Wolf Hour is a superb one-woman show for Naomi Watts, whose extraordinary performance is all nerves, smoke and sweat; combined with the film’s spot-on production design, it evokes the menace of the era – real and perceived – with tactile precision.

 “Naomi Watts further proves that she’s one of the best with The Wolf Hour.” – RogerEbert.com