Movie review: She Said

Zoe Kazan and Carey Mulligan in #MeToo biopic She Said, in cinemas now.

The first scripted film to directly engage with the #MeToo reckoning around sexual assault in Hollywood and beyond, She Said is often difficult to watch, yet undeniably essential.

It's an adaptation of New York Times reporters Megan Twohey and Jodi Kantor's book of the same name, in which they detailed their investigation into famed film producer/studio head Harvey Weinstein's years of sexual abuse, harassment and the subsequent cover-ups. Their article, published in October 2017, along with a New Yorker feature from Ronan Farrow, opened the floodgates for further sexual assault survivors to come forward, and brought to light a system that favoured perpetrators over victims.

She Said opens with coverage of Donald Trump's sexual assault accusations in the lead-up to his being elected president. Seemingly inspired by that lack of accountability, Kantor (Zoe Kazan) begins looking into sexual impropriety in Hollywood and brings Twohey (Carey Mulligan) on board.

Research leads them to Weinstein, and they begin to learn about the many financial settlements - with non-disclosure agreements - he had instituted over the years. But they struggle to get anyone to go on the record about Weinstein (who we hear on phone calls, but only see once, from behind).

Meanwhile, Weinstein engages in his previously successful strategy of attempting to squash the investigation via subterfuge, threats of legal action and also by brazenly dangling Hollywood opportunities in front of the reporters.

German director Maria Schrader (I'm Your Man) and screenwriter Rebecca Lenkiewicz take a procedural, non-stylised approach to the material that tonally recalls 2015's Oscar-winning Spotlight. The sense of grounded verisimilitude is enhanced by the film shooting in the actual New York Times offices, and by Ashley Judd (one of the first Weinstein victims to go on record) portraying herself in the film.

While it may well have been an aesthetic choice to play it this starkly, there is a (pretty understandable) sense of caution to the proceedings. The #MeToo reckoning did not solve the problem of how we deal with sexual assault as a society, obviously, but aside from the Trump stuff at the start, this doesn't have much to say about the issue beyond Weinstein.

Again, it's not hard to imagine why this approach was taken, but I found myself looking for some larger contextual examination, even on a metaphorical level. Trump and Weinstein are representative of a problem that we haven't even begun to properly contend with as a society, but this film doesn't engage that conversation.

Nevertheless, the focused narrative puts the emphasis on the victims' voices, which is unquestionably the best place to start.

Ultimately, She Said is a powerful, sobering work that navigates a sickening subject with admirable poise and solid journalistic determination.

Cast: Carey Mulligan, Zoe Kazan
Director: Maria Schrader
Running time: 129 minutes
Verdict: A straightforward journalistic procedural drama about an investigation into a monster.