Invisible Woman

October 30, 2023
When a Hollywood bigwig is accused of raping multiple women, a rudderless empty nester urges an old friend to come forward in this provocative but uneven standalone from Lief (House of a Thousand Eyes). In 1990, producer Lou Pridgen drugged and raped actor Val Graham at a Hollywood party she crashed with filmmaker Joni Ackerman. Val and Joni kept quiet about the incident to protect their nascent careers. Eventually, Val moved home to Philadelphia and Joni married TV megaproducer Paul Lovett, trading moviemaking for motherhood. Three decades later, Joni and Paul are living in Brooklyn when the Pridgen news breaks. Joni’s kids are out of the house and Paul works constantly, so she takes a break from bingeing booze and Patricia Highsmith novels to track Val down and suggest she speak out about her experience with Pridgen. Val refuses, which is a relief to scandal-averse Paul, but a blow to Joni, who perseveres—with unexpected consequences. Lief generates some intriguing tension by juxtaposing the necessity and importance of the #MeToo movement with Joni’s questionable motives, and Val and Joni’s struggles as women in Hollywood resonate. Unfortunately, too-convenient plotting, unimaginative twists, and poorly established stakes blunt the tale’s impact. This aims high and falls short. Agent: Dan Conaway, Writers House.