SHE SAID

"I've talked in the past, and nothing happened. I spoke at a political meeting recently, and The New York Times put it in the style section. It does damage to shout, and no one listen." - Rose McGowan

Years of investigative journalism brought the downfall of many high-profile moguls and exposure of systematic illegalities. The film industry capitalizes on these scandals with the creation of docudramas, such as The Post, State of Play, and most famously, Spotlight. In 2017, self reflection was in order regarding one of their own. In a bombshell report by the New York Times, accusations against the illustrious Harvey Weinstein (one of the film industries most influential tycoons) reported numerous cases of sexual abuse with actresses and staff members. Fast-forward five years, She Said, directed by Maria Schrader, finally gives an artistic voice to all the women who felt theirs was stolen under the weight of Weinstein’s influence. Hollywood’s cannibalistic apology film, however remorseful its attempt, fell flat in its inability to provide the subversive, hair-tingling impact like its predecessors.

Tasked with writing a piece about sexual misconduct in the workplace, New York Times investigative journalist Jodi Kantor receives information about Rose Mcgowan’s sexual assault alligations against Hollywood producer Harvey Weinstein. She enlists help from fellow investigative journalist Megan Twohey in unraveling what appears to be a boundless web of fear-mongering and hush money. Each interview with a former Weinstein employee ends with a plea of off-the-record anonymity, victim after victim, met with NDA after NDA. In search for the truth, Jodi and Megan meticulously comb through every tip they receive, lawsuit they can dig up, and name that lands on their desk to expose one of the biggest sexual abuse cover-ups in modern history.

We must bear witness to and give a more conceptualized platform to the victims that essentially pioneered the #metoo movement, but unlike those brave women who had a powerful message to tell, She Said struggles to embody their significance. Regardless of the public infamy and innately harrowing material, a veiled lack of fervor and drowsy sense of matter-of-factness saturated the storyline. An immediately unvarnished baseline established in Act I entrenches the narrative in a pragmatic and unenthused manner devoid of tension or anticipation. The absence of ebb and flow in any build-up or revelatory reporting hinders the overall impact and creates a powerpoint timeline presentation instead of a dramatic cinematic rendition.

Redundancy became the status quo in She Said. Interview after interview provided a similar story involving a Weinstein employee, an invitation to the peninsula suit, and a disgusting sexual advancement; progressing to mafia paranoid dinner after dinner with Irwin Reiter, one of Weinstein’s former accountants, to acquire documents implicating Weinstein’s actions; concluding with phone call after phone call with Weinstein and his lawyers about a statement regarding the allegations. Establishing the amount of women abused becomes a clear driving point, but the cyclical echo of their experiences bogs down the momentum tremendously.

The potential for this decision of repetitiveness was to embody the labyrinthine nature of the victim’s mental state, or the haphazard patchwork done by Weinstein’s lawyers and their paper trails, but it didn’t quite land with the intended disturbing punch. Demonstrating how difficult and demoralizing it was having each woman deny a quote and showing the sheer scope of his depravity and the depth of his money-driven gag orders, Schrader lost a bit of the film’s poignancy and urgency with the repetition of these accounts–so much so that at times it was hard to attach names to the stories. Having such a long-winded means to an end left an unfulfilled craving for a more monumental takedown.

What Schrader articulates in the intricacies of investigative journalism emerges as her crowning glory in the film. The difficulties of bypassing legalities required to navigate a report like this was overwhelming, and with the New York Times expecting everything by the book and accurately recorded, so does Schrader in her desire to inventory the real life step-by-step processes. From fact checking, to respectful interviewing, to read-throughs and quotes, The Times painstakingly constructed this report ethically and legally. If anything, She Said advocates for investigative journalism as a profession, and highlights the skill and bravery it takes to ignore constant threats and avoid landmines placed by every Harvey Weinstein that has gotten away with it.

Carey Mulligan and Zoe Kazan devour their roles as Megan Twohey and Jodi Kantor respectively. Like a fly on the wall during the investigative process, Mulligan and Twohey add a nurturing tone to each interview, and emotionally portray how closely they hold the truth and their work to their hearts. A stunning sense of community persisted throughout the film between each victim and the journalists they trusted; a beautiful ode to the power women hold when they come together. This included Twohey’s portrayal of affection towards Kantor, spearheading the investigation, when each victim agreed to a quote. Mulligan’s infectious pride for her coworker truly aided in a heavily ladened ethos/logos driven narrative. While the storyline flatlined, the emotional pull between Jodi and Megan and the women who were wronged inaugurated the heartbeat that gave life to an otherwise stale production.

She Said proves that subject matter doesn’t always equal a great film. While many aspects deserve praise, a proportionate amount deserves scrutiny. Many films based on true stories such as this are heavy and societally prevalent, adding pressure to do everyone involved justice. However moving, the importance is that the story is out there in a more digestible manner for the general public. Mediocrity and blandness aside, Harvey Weinstein was portrayed as a deplorable human that abused the powers his industry granted him, and at the end of the day, that’s all that matters.