The Wolf Hour 2019

In the sweltering heat of 1970s New York City, former wordsmith June Leigh (Naomi Watts) has retreated into a state of isolation within her crumbling grandmother’s apartment, a sanctuary she’d constructed around herself like a fortress. The once-vibrant neighborhood below her fourth-floor window has devolved into a gritty, crime-ridden landscape, and yet June remains anchored to her solitary existence, unable to muster the courage to venture forth amidst the notorious “Summer of Sam”. Her days are spent watching the world pass by through her window, an observer trapped in her own personal vortex of anxiety and agoraphobia.

June’s life takes a turn when her estranged friend Margot (Jennifer Ehle) pays her a visit, bearing witness to June’s precipitous descent into despair. As Margot works to coax June out of her self-imposed exile, the two women confront the decaying state of June’s apartment, a physical manifestation of her emotional stagnation. Despite Margot’s best efforts, June’s crippling panic attacks prove too great a hurdle, and it becomes clear that her phobias have become an impenetrable barrier to reentry into the world.

As June navigates this dark period, her intercom buzzes incessantly, its insistent ringing a constant reminder of the outside world she’s desperate to avoid. Her friend Margot tries to arm June with a sense of self-defense by gifting her a .38 caliber gun, a tangible symbol of the fragility and uncertainty that permeates her existence.

The root of June’s distress is slowly unearthed as flashbacks reveal the devastating loss of her father, whose passing was attributed to her controversial writing, leading her family to disown her. The emotional toll of this abandonment is compounded by the crushing weight of writer’s block, which has left her creative wellspring dry and barren.

In a moment of vulnerability, June allows Freddie (Kelvin Harrison Jr.), the young grocery delivery boy who has become an unlikely confidant, to use her sink to wash away his own troubles. This fleeting act of kindness sparks a tentative friendship between the two, one that is tempered by Freddie’s own tragic backstory – the loss of his mother in a house fire, which left him with severe burns and emotional scars.

As June struggles to find solace in her increasingly isolated existence, she becomes aware of an insidious force at work: the mysterious intercom buzzing that seems to emanate from nowhere and everywhere at once. A police officer (Jeremy Bobb) arrives on the scene, offering his condolences and a dubious proposal – extra protection for June’s sake, but only if she’s willing to reciprocate with something more than words.

In this desperate bid for human connection, June finds herself drawn into a world of fleeting intimacy and transactional encounters. She becomes fixated on the erotic dance unfolding in the apartment complex next door, using it as a substitute for her own repressed desires. When she finally summons the courage to arrange for a male escort, Billy (Emory Cohen), to join her at home, their physical encounter is tinged with a sense of desperation and disconnection.

Billy’s own tortured past, marked by childhood abuse and a subsequent struggle to overcome his fears, resonates deeply with June. As they navigate the minefield of their desires, Billy becomes an unlikely catalyst for June’s creative awakening. The night air is filled with the sound of their laughter, but also the insistent buzzing of the intercom, which seems to be calling out to her – a siren song beckoning her back into the world beyond her window.

As June’s final financial reserves dwindle, she entrusts Freddie (actor name) with a crucial task: delivering her freshly penned novel to the publishing house. However, in a cruel twist of fate, he vanishes without returning her check, leaving her high and dry. The darkness is soon illuminated by a sudden power outage, plunging the neighborhood into chaos as rioters and looters take advantage of the situation. June finds herself isolated and vulnerable, trapped in the midst of anarchy.

As she navigates the treacherous terrain, June’s gaze falls upon a figure that appears to be Freddie, only to shatter her hopes as he is mercilessly beaten by a police officer. Shaken but undeterred, she summons the courage to venture out into the desolate streets, her eyes fixed on the horizon as the morning sun rises above the devastation.

The film culminates with June, having overcome her mental health struggles, sitting poised and confident in front of a television camera. The charismatic host poses an incisive question about the inspiration behind her latest literary endeavor, prompting a wry smile to play upon her lips.