Directed By Maria Schrader

Starring – Carey Mulligan, Zoe Kazan, Patricia Clarkson

The Plot – New York Times reporters Megan Twohey (Mulligan) and Jodi Kantor (Kazan) break one of the most important stories in a generation — a story that helped launch the #MeToo movement and shattered decades of silence around the subject of sexual assault in Hollywood.

Rated R for adult language and descriptions of sexual abuse

SHE SAID | Official Trailer – YouTube

POSITIVES

Exposing the vilest monster in all of Hollywood, while enacting the single biggest women’s movement of all time is a story that demands the big screen treatment, but without Schrader behind the lens continuously pulling on the strings of compelling angles and scintillating drama, it could’ve easily stumbled to the melodramatic story, and fell in the direction of “Bombshell” instead of “Spotlight”. Thankfully, that isn’t the case here, as Schrader’s narrative not only captures the constantly evolving and responsible side of cut-throat journalism, but also illustrates with it the selfless sacrifice at home by a profession whose pawns unavoidably always bring their work home with them. This and the lack of sensationalism was certainly present in “Spotlight”, but what “She Said” commits itself to even further than that film is maintaining the authenticity factor of the environment, which in setting is shot in the actual New York Times newsroom, and in personality is displayed in everything from focus-free writing, rereading for factual accuracies, or the clutches of paranoia from an audacious topic that prescribes the vulnerability factor for everyone included. Schrader zeroes in on these aspects, but never in ways that make them feel over the top or overtly cinematic, instead keeping the devil of the details in Rebecca Lenkiewicz script that is adapted exceptionally from the book of the same name, and a surefire candidate for Best Adapted Screenplay at next year’s Oscars. Lenkiewicz and the accommodating two hour run time do a remarkable job of capturing the struggle of trying to nail one of Hollywood’s most imposing figures, bringing with it an audaciousness in sociological believability of female victims and cracks in system design that sadly and unfortunately left hundreds of women to suffer its cruel and condemning clutches before giving way to the #MeToo movement that worked to change everything. The production is blessed by an abundance of recorded phone calls, celebrity cameos, and scene-surveilling photography, which help to recreate the instances in question, but without the television influence of dramatizations demeaning its cause. Because of such, the revelations are treated as they rightfully should; as moments in time haunted by the ghosts that still adorn its elegant hotel rooms, with memories as frail and unforgiving as the imagination can’t even begin to conjure up. The performances are also remarkable from the duo of Kazan and Mulligan, who each supplant something endearing to the designs of their respective characters without ever feeling interchangeable. Kazan’s frailty and obvious concern for the victims makes her the conscience of the film’s morality, offering her scenes of watery eyes and long-winded diatribes sure to immerse her in immediate Oscar discussions, and Mulligan’s ferocity and resiliency summoning the embodiment of today’s woman, undoubtedly bringing her own experiences with male fandom to the integrity of the role. Because the duo are good friends in real life (Kazan served as a bridesmaid in Mulligan’s wedding to Marcus Mumford), the chemistry of their dynamic feels lived-in and full of natural conversations that simultaneously flesh each of their characteristics out while articulating what each of them bring to the table with regards to the investigation.

NEGATIVES

While I commend Schrader’s selfless direction for leaving much of the focus on the details of the story interjected to her narrative, one element of bizarre production didn’t follow suit, and left more to be desired with its attack on an otherwise straight forward brand of storytelling. I’m talking about the editing, which not only occasionally obscures the context and clarity of a scene in depiction with spontaneous incorporation between scenes it rightfully doesn’t belong between, but also clutters the execution of transition sequences in ways that make story aspects go a bit undefined in the eyes of audiences not as familiar with the details presented. This is especially noticeable during the opening act of the movie, which is respectable for wasting no time before immersing us in this world and the conflict of its characters but compromising for how its lack of establishing leaves elements delivered unceremoniously. The opening act of this film is such a complete mess that it almost derails the film’s impact long before it ever has a chance to properly materialize, but thankfully the consistency of its blundering sedates itself as the film goes on towards only popping up occasionally in the format of its storytelling, leaving a bit too many confusing instances, even temporarily, in the layering of its chronological details. My only other problem pertains to the scope and scale of the investigation, which unfortunately rests solely on the shoulders of Harvey Weinstein, in order to seduce the audience into the seat with a provocative focal point. Because the #MeToo movement has meant so much to so many, the lack of extensive documentation, via on-screen text, underwhelms the magnitude of its impact, and even with a film with limitations to its two-hour run time, I feel like the need to extend

OVERALL
What “She Said” lacks in suspense and cinematic sizzle, it more than makes up for with the insightfully audacious investigation into Hollywood’s single biggest scandal ever unearthed. Schrader and company keep the integrity and focus on the unraveling of the authentic investigation, leading to an engaging experience that is almost every bit entertaining as it is important, with a duo of fierce females leading the charge to the Oscars.

My Grade: 8/10 or B+