Dianna Agron Stops Time with Performance in Hulu’s ‘Clock’

The biological clock transforms into a haunted figure in Hulu’s visceral baby fever dream appropriately titled Clock. 

Ella (Dianna Agron; Shiva Baby) is a 37-year-old interior designer and the only person in her friend’s group with no kids. Despite her flourishing career and fulfilling life with her doctor husband, Aidan (Jay Ali; Carnival Row), Ella is constantly pressured by those around her to have a baby and is told to consider her “biological clock” due to her age. 

At Ella’s best friend Shauna’s (Grace Porter; Godfather of Harlem) baby shower, the guests react with shock and awe when they learn that Ella has no desire to have children. They dismiss her decision as ill-informed and question the meaning of her life without motherhood. 

However, a montage shows that Ella’s life is quite rich. Her days are spent pursuing her passion for interior design, uninterrupted moments with her successful and attractive husband, doing charity work, cooking meals, indulging in self-care spa sessions, and peaceful evenings in a quiet and tranquil home. 

Outside of the friend’s pressure, she also faces pressure from her father, Joseph (Saul Rubinek; Hunters), whose concern about her being a mother is rooted in continuing family heritage and legacy. Ella is Jewish, and her ancestors were survivors of Auschwitz-Birkenau. Her father’s desire for her to have children is to ensure that the fight to survive doesn’t be for not by Ella being unwilling to continue to replenish the family line.  

Willing to see if there’s a way to “fix” her biological clock, she goes to Infinity for a 10-day stay where she’ll enter into a clinical trial designed to correct that part of her that doesn’t want children led by Dr. Elizabeth Simmons (Melora Hardin; The Bold Type). After the treatment, Ella begins to have a series of side effects that leads to a conclusion that no one will see coming. 

This feature directorial debut from writer-director Alexis Jacknow is an interesting addition to the budding motherhood subgenre of horror. Jacknow is very straightforward with her approach, examining societal pressures placed on women to conform to traditional gender roles and the resulting impact on their personal autonomy and mental well-being. 

Agron delivers in her performance of a confident and thriving woman who gradually descends into anxiety and paranoia. 

As the film progresses, the vibrant colors that once illuminated Ella’s life begin to dim, serving as a powerful visual metaphor for the toll that conforming has taken on her. It also offers a glimpse into a world where everyone conforms, resulting in a dull and lifeless existence.

Jacknow employs recurring motifs of eggs and clocks to emphasize the biological clock even when we aren’t exactly thinking about it. Even the device placed inside Ella to fix her looks like an inner mechanism of a clock. The horror components took on a Cronenberg aesthetic at times.  

But at the height of the film’s tension, it fails to nail down a cohesive message, leaving the viewer wondering what the director is trying to say. There are many options, but which was by design versus the one we conclude through viewer experience? 

During one-on-one sessions with Dr. Simmons, Ella shares relatable reasons someone may not want a child. For some, there’s a fear of childbirth, and although Ella isn’t a person of color, that session represents the mortality rates among women of color in childbirth, specifically Black women. 

Another session touched on Ella’s heritage as she discussed the horror her Jewish ancestors endured, which examined the decision to not want to have children due to the society in which they’d have to grow up. In a world riddled with school shootings, sexual assault, and racially motivated crimes while also being on the brink of another recession, it seems likely that someone wouldn’t want the added burden of raising and protecting a child when things don’t seem to be getting better. 

And while these reasons are valid, it’s also okay to simply not want children. 

The movie is sure to garner a variety of reactions and ignite several conversations. It arrives at a time when people are still battling for control over their bodies and standing firm on the front lines of reproductive rights, making it a fitting addition to the current societal landscape. 

With these big swinging statements, it’s even more critical that the story gives us a place to land. The film had great promise to be a little more concrete but struggled by balancing multiple themes simultaneously. With its tight 90-minute runtime, it was hard to tie all the loose threads together. Still, watching Agron’s multidimensional interpretation of Ella translates seamlessly. 

Clock is a promising feature debut from writer-director Alexis Jacknow, who demonstrates a clear vision in her filmmaking. While the voice wasn’t as distinct in this film, it’s sure that this director has more to say. 

Rating: 3.5 out of 5 stars