She Said
Cert 15 | ★★★✩✩
The story of how two New York Times journalists exposed Hollywood producer Harvey Weinstein’s history of abuse and sexual misconduct against women is told in this timely biopic from director Maria Schrader.
Written by British playwright Rebecca Lenkiewicz, She Said stars Zoe Kazan — granddaughter of legendary filmmaker Elia Kazan — as Jodi Kantor, while award-winning British actor Carey Mulligan plays Megan Twohey.
The film also features a powerful, if all too brief, turn from Samatha Morton as Zelda Perkins, Weinstein’s former assistant. Actor and femimist activist Ashley Judd plays herself.
In 2017 New York Times reporterJodi Kantor receives a tip that actor Rose McGowan (not seen onscreen) had been sexually assaulted by Weinstein.
McGowan initially declines to comment on the matter, but later calls Kantor with the story of a shocking encounter with the powerful producer when she was just 23 and starting out in Hollywood.
Carey Mulligan in She Said (Photo: Jojo Whilden / Universal Pictures)
Kantor also speaks to actors Ashley Judd and Gwyneth Paltrow, who describe their own meetings with Weinstein, but refuse to be named in the article.
Frustrated at the lack of progress made in the story due to the wall of silence from former employees, Kantor recruits Megan Twohey to help with the piece.
As the accusations and stories come in, Kantor travels to London to speak to Zelda Perkins about her time working for Weinstein.
For all its importance and clear message, She Said sadly often feels a little too mechanical to fully function as a historical biopic. Still, Schrader and Lenkiewicz deliver an unfussy, if overlong, procedural drama which is both impactful and shocking in its subject matter.
While Kazan often feels a little out of her depth, the film’s narrative is carried throughout by its peripheral characters rather than the main protagonists. Both Morton and Ehle give two of their best- ever performances, with Morton rescuing the film from its needlessly detailed and repetitive tone.
While She Said lacks the impact of a film like Kitty Green’s The Assistant, there is still a lot here to appreciate even if the execution often lacks purpose and direction.
And while it’s true that the film failed to set the box office alight in the United States, there remains a serious Oscar buzz surrounding it, especially in the acting categories. Meanwhile, in the real world Weinstein’s second trial continues.
