She Said – A Powerful Journalism Procedural

After decades of the industry turning a blind eye to his crimes, the truth about Hollywood mega-producer Harvey Weinstein was exposed in 2017, in a New York Times article detailing how he had been abusing female employees and paying them off for their silence for decades. The article kickstarted the #metoo movement and exposed an entire culture of workplace abuse, not just in Hollywood, but in almost every industry imaginable. We are now five years removed from when the article was initially published. Weinstein and a number of there notorious abusers within the public sphere have been sentenced to jail, and while we still have a long way to go, the article and the events that followed have had a huge impact on changing the culture.

Maria Schrader’s She Said is a cinematic retelling of the investigation and writing process leading up to the day the article was published. The film follows journalists Jodi Kantor (Kazan) and Megan Twohey (Mulligan) as they interview several victims and put together substantial evidence to prosecute one of the biggest and most powerful movie producers in Hollywood.

Many were worried that it may be too soon to tackle this subject matter, or perhaps it’s too sensitive to explore at all, considering the damage Weinstein has done to so many within the industry. There was legitimate concern that making a film about this particular story would inherently sensationalize trauma. Fortunately, She Said is an extremely respectful, well made and necessary film that is much of a celebration of the brave women who stood up in the face of injustice and worked to create a more safe and open environment in Hollywood, as it is a exploration of the decades of abuse that Weinstein committed.

Similar to former Best Picture winner Spotlight, She Said is a journalism procedural that doesn’t rely on any bells and whistles, and instead chooses to take a naturalistic approach. Schrader’s direction is subtle and almost takes a backseat, allowing Rebecca Lenkiewicz’ screenplay to do most of the heavy lifting. It’s a very wordy film that predominantly consists of conversations between the journalists and people they are interviewing for the article, but it’s completely riveting due to the strength of the writing. Despite a handful of corny lines that feel out of place, the dialogue is extremely authentic and does a great job making audiences understand the full extent of Harvey’s abuse and how it affected the victims.

She Said features two strong lead performances from Mulligan and Kazan. The latter in particular carries much of the emotional weight of the film, delivering understated work as a surrogate for audiences. Kazan and Mulligan meanwhile have excellent chemistry and portray a healthy and strong example of female friendship. The supporting cast is also brilliant, especially Ashley Judd (as herself), Samantha Morton (Zelda Perkins), Patricia Clarkson (Rebecca Corbett), and Jennifer Ehle (Laura Madden). They all are given the chance individually to shine in emotionally powerful scenes, and help to bring to film to the next level.

In the end, while She Said may not be visually pleasing or particularly ambitious from a filmmaking standpoint, it is still a genuinely impactful journalism procedural with a powerful message that is among one of the years best films.

still courtesy of Universal Pictures

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Tristan French