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If you follow the movie business, plan your life around releases, and study the upcoming slate like most film obsessives do, it's hard to go into a movie knowing absolutely nothing about it. In fact, it's a treat when something like Julia Hart's "I'm Your Woman" comes along without much fanfare and winds up surprising you in its story and craft. It was announced recently that the movie would be released in December, and just a few weeks ago it was selected to be the opening premiere of this year's virtual AFI Film Festival. Amid buzzier titles, this slick, thrilling, and well-acted crime drama snuck into the fall festival lineup and secured its place as one of the best movies of the year.

From the early moments in "I'm Your Woman," something feels off. Jean (Rachel Brosnahan, the Emmy-winning star of The Marvelous Mrs. Maisel) exudes a certain level of unknowing because she rarely knows what her husband Eddie (Bill Heck) is up to. One day, he comes home with a baby and tells Jean he's their son. Jean is confused, as anyone would be, because as we learn in the beginning of the movie, Jean can't have kids.

Jean knows Eddie's income is from illegal activity, but the specificities often elude her. One night, Jean is startled awake by a loud bang at the door. She lives in a seemingly constant state of worry, so she hesitantly opens the door in the middle of the night, not knowing who could possibly be on the other side. One of Eddie's associates barges in and alerts Jean she needs to pack her things, take the kid, and get out of the house. No one knows where Eddie is and people are looking for him and they will certainly start at their house. She is instructed to meet Cal (Arinzé Kene), who will drive her to where she needs to go - wherever that may be. After a few stops that don't assure Jean's safety, Cal takes her to a remote cabin with his wife Teri (Marsha Stephanie Blake, terrific in last year's underseen "Luce"), their son, and Cal's father (Frankie Faison).

"I'm Your Woman" isn't just a waiting game, where we sit with Jean in a cabin and wait for the henchmen to come kill her. From the opening moments, Hart creates a tense atmosphere and makes everywhere Jean ends up feel unsafe. Hart raises the temperature ever so delicately as the movie goes on, which helps make the cumulative effect all more powerful. Jean is forced to live her life constantly looking over her shoulder, and to Hart's credit as a gifted and talented filmmaker, she places that discomfort on the audience for a wholly interactive movie experience.

There certainly are moments of a conventional crime drama within "I'm Your Woman" but what makes the movie stand apart from those of its kind is Hart's character work, which has made her previous films so special. From the high school-set "Miss Stevens" to the sci-fi-tinged drama "Fast Color," Hart's most valuable skill as a director is the empathy with which she captures her characters. No filmmaker working today cares as deeply as Hart does for hers, giving them a life filled with hopes and dreams, fears and concerns. Her movies feel like they are made of people and not simple creations.

"I'm Your Woman" clocks in at an even two hours and at times the pacing slows down, while other scenes are a bit more frenzied. Hart strikes a great balance between the two and never lets the sense of unease escape the frame. "I'm Your Woman" is one of the most effective movies of 2020.

"I'm Your Woman" screened as part of the Chicago Film Festival. It will begin a limited theatrical run on Dec. 4 and debut on Amazon Prime starting Dec. 11.