She Said

Much like Bombshell from a few years ago, She Said tells the story of a powerful mogul who seemed too big to fail, and the eventual circumstances that brought them down.  In that 2019 film, we got the story of Roger Ailes, and how he was ousted from his position at Fox News by women who came forward with his sexual misconduct at the network.  Maria Schrader's new film tells a similar story, only centered on film producer Harvey Weinstein.  

In many ways, Weinstein was more powerful than Ailes.  His habit of inviting women into his hotel room, and the lewd actions that usually occurred within was one of the worst kept secrets in Hollywood.  And yet, it was ignored with hush payments and NDAs.  Behind his massive film success, with numerous millions made at the box office and Best Picture awards, he was a sexual predator that nobody really wanted to talk about publicly.  That was until an article appeared in The New York Times on October 5th, 2017.  Reporters Megan Twohey and Jodi Kantor made the story public for the first time, and helped usher in the "Me Too" era.  They wrote a best selling book about their investigation, and now here is the film, with Carey Mulligan as Megan and Zoe Kazan as Jodi.

The film follows in the footsteps of All the President's Men and Spotlight in that it is interested in the journey to get to the truth.  Like in those films, the truth had been silenced for a long time, and if it weren't for the investigation, it might not have come forward at all.  Also, there are a lot of people under powerful influence who are afraid to come forward.  While the film's focus is centrally on Harvey and the investigation into him, you get the sense that the film is speaking for all women who feel intimidated by powerful men who go unchecked.  Many of the women that Twohey and Kantor go to talk to don't even think that their words will matter much.  They have tried to speak out in the past, but either had their stories buried by the media, or were attacked publicly for trying to speak out.

So strong was Harvey's power in the film industry that he could destroy anyone's career who even tried to speak against him.  Of course, this brings up a difficult question to the viewer.  Since this is a major Hollywood film talking about the abuse that one man put countless people through, and how those in the industry largely ignored it, how is that aspect going to be portrayed?  Luckily, the film is mainly focused on the investigation itself.  It does not come across as a self-congratulatory piece about Hollywood trying to change its tactics once the truth came out.  She Said is a skillfully constructed drama that mixes the professional and personal lives of both of its lead women.  Both have children and husbands, and have inner battles to fight.  Twohy is dealing with postpartum depression, while Kantor is stunned to learn that her young daughter (who seems to be about eight) knows about rape, and hears other kids talk about it in casual conversation.  

The movie knows how to take this complex and sensitive subject, and make it palatable with strong performances and a straightforward storytelling style that is compelling.  It does not vilify men in general, as the two reporters get plenty of support from their husband, and the men at the Times.  The film has no interest in being a hit piece, and in another form of credibility, uses real celebrity names and people who were involved in the investigation.  Most of all, this is about what goes on in real journalism, where many are not willing to talk, and the persistence and patience that these women needed to get the story.  I admired the little details, such as the lawyer for Weinstein who is friendly with rather than antagonizes the women, and the accurate locations around New York (mainly restaurants) where the interviews occur.

She Said is powerful filmmaking, but it feels like just a small part of a much larger story.  More information is bound to come out about other "Harveys" all over the world and in various fields of business.  And while they may not have the money and influence that he had, they will still get away with it.  Watching the film, I felt that despite the big city setting and the Hollywood celebrity backdrop, this story could take place anywhere, and probably does.

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