And she said, ‘Me too’: the powerful film exposing sexual abuse
She Said, starring Carey Mulligan and Zoe Kazan, looks at the investigative journalists who exposed movie tycoon Harvey Weinstein, kick-starting the transformative #MeToo movement. By
There’s a good chance you have heard of the allegations against Hollywood heavyweight and Miramax co-founder Harvey Weinstein, which sparked the #MeToo movement around the world and encouraged women to speak about harassment and abuse.
The knock-on effect of these discussions has been spotlighting the broken systems that enable such behaviour. Going back to the start — looking at how hushed whispers triggered ripples that would become a tsunami — is precisely what She Said does.
From Unorthodox director Maria Schrader, and Disobedience screenwriter (and playwright) Rebecca Lenkiewicz, She Said tracks how New York Times investigative journalists Megan Twohey (Carey Mulligan) and Jodi Kantor (Zoe Kazan) got people to go on the record and bring Weinstein to justice.
Now, it’s fair to say that She Said won’t be for everyone. The film sits among the All the President’s Men and Spotlights of the cinematic world, celebrating reporters who doggedly pursue the truth. These movies don’t often find mainstream appeal, probably because they’re not “big screen” cinematic. There’s a lot of phone calls, poring over documents and people clustered around screens as articles are collaboratively written.
She Said is an important film. It’s frequently chilling. But it’s also very much in this genre mould. In remaining true to reallife events – demonstrating an integrity and determination to match Twohey and Kantor’s – She Said isn’t consistently gripping. The film waxes and wanes, then waxes again over its 129-minute run time as it refuses to neatly connect the dots of its narrative. It has some pacing issues as a result.
In its defence, She Said doesn’t lack visual flair. One memorable scene calls to mind the most ominous moments of The Shining. The camera meanders down the opulent yet suffocating passageways of a hotel where Weinstein would assault women, all while playing a voice recording of an exchange between the moviemaker and one of his victims. Like the film as a whole, it’s an unflinching exposé but it’s never gratuitous. Then again, it doesn’t have to be, in order to be impactful.
It’s the performances that mostly energise She Said. Mulligan and Kazan demonstrate two personality and interpersonal relationship styles, with Mulligan tapping into the indignant fire against injustice that we’ve already seen from her in Promising Young Woman. Her Twohey is equal parts no-nonsense and anxious — based on her previous experiences pursuing similar stories. Meanwhile,
Kantor is less intimidating, but no less effective in getting people to open up.
The stars in She
Said steady the ship, with Patricia Clarkson and Andre Braugher appearing in memorable supporting roles. What electrifies the film, though, are the near back-to-back accounts of former Miramax employees Zelda Perkins (Samantha Morton) and Laura Madden (Jennifer Ehle). Oscar-worthy in their delivery, these monologues mine the complex feelings of abuse survivors, made even more knotty in the Weinstein case as many of his victims accepted settlements for keeping quiet.
Ashley Judd appears as herself in the film, representing one of the high-profile actresses who spoke up against Weinstein and how he exerted his influence to snuff out her career when she resisted his advances. Rose McGowan has a vocal stand-in for phone conversations, while Gwyneth Paltrow is also represented, but does not appear.
She Said refuses to succumb to sensationalism or traditional Hollywood moments for audiences to cheer over. As an example, the Weinstein story doesn’t break with all his victims standing together to speak out. A few individual voices had to go on the record alone, despite the target this would place on their back from the exceptionally well-connected and lawyered-up Weinstein.
So, She Said is slow at times, and definitely sombre. Fortunately, though, it’s not relentlessly gloomy. There’s an enjoyable, natural camaraderie between Twohey and Kantor (which you rarely see in female professional relationships onscreen), plus gratification in how Andre Braugher’s executive editor outmanoeuvres the bully Weinstein every step of the way. More importantly, though, She Said doesn’t become overly fixated on legal justice at the expense of the women affected by Weinstein’s actions.
Before the credits roll, and we get the text screen summary of how events played out in reality, the film pays tribute to the courage of the survivors of abuse. Throughout She Said, there is never any judgment over how the women reacted. And in the end, their carrying on, despite how the assault forever altered their life path, is a true act of bravery and triumph.
This story was first published on Pfangirl. com. She Said is in cinemas from 18 November.
Carey Mulligan and Zoe Kazan (above with Patricia Clarkson on the left) in Photos: Production stills courtesy of Universal Pictures
A few individual voices had to go on the record alone, despite the target this would place on their back from
the exceptionally wellconnected and lawyeredup Weinstein