This true story is probably more well known in America, but I wasn’t aware of it before I heard that a feature film and a documentary were being made. The documentary (Kate Plays Christine), I hear, is a disappointment, but this take on the tragic story feels authentic.
Rebecca Hall plays Christine Chubbock, a reporter on the TV news in Florida in the early 1970s. Frustrated with her boss demanding juicier stories to boost ratings, being overlooked for a career changing move to a bigger station, and her loveless personal situation Christine makes a terrifying decision. I’m sure most people, by now, know what she decides to do, but I won’t spoil it, in case you don’t.
Being interested in the media and loving films made or set in the 70s, there was plenty here for me, and I was duly dragged into the story. Christine is a hard person to warm to – you can see how she was unable to connect with almost anyone else – so it took me some time to feel fully engaged. However, a quiet tension builds throughout, and you begin to feel her pain.
Hall dominates the film with an excellent performance and it is only actors in the much smaller roles that make any kind of impression otherwise. Tracy Letts as Chubbock’s boss and John Cullum as the station owner were particularly impressive.
The 70s feel and trappings, without going over the top, were spot on.
Rating: 7.5 out of 10