She Said Review: A Patient, Hard-Hitting Drama!

Jodi Kantor (Zoe Kazan) and Megan Twohey (Carey Mulligan) were two investigative journalists for the New York Times who uncovered one of the most groundbreaking stories of our generation. They took down the most powerful man in Hollywood to propel a cultural movement that has expanded all over the world. A story that some may be familiar with is further examined in this powerful film about the downfall of Harvey Weinstein and the incredible women who jumped together to speak out after being silenced for decades.

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When it comes to true stories, some fall into the category of “this could have been a Wikipedia page.” However, She Said utilizes its powerful performances and emotional philosophical questions to bring the varying experiences of survivors into perspective. Maria Schrader and writer Rebecca Lenkiewicz struck a great balance of expanding the story to encapsulate the scope of sexual assault in the workplace while very much focusing on this one story at large. The focus of the movie honed in on Hollywood but in turn provided commentary on power dynamics, workplace harassment, and the emotional difficulty of coming forward.

The tone of She Said is mature and patient, rarely having the women express their internal anger outwardly, which results in a gentle method of investigative journalism towards the victims. Zoe Kazan and Carey Mulligan give award worthy performances as the real Jodi and Megan, using gentle demeanors towards the victims that displays the women’s genuine determination to unravel the story at hand while respecting the survivors. Where investigative journalism films typically build tension that result in an eventual explosion, She Said maintains its gentle demeanor throughout, resulting in a more powerful journey and eventual conclusion.

She Said’s deep recognition and investigation of the difficult questions associated with sexual assault is extremely admirable. It examined the moral questions of accepting settlements, staying quiet and not coming forward, and the blacklisting of women who do speak up. She Said also looks into how such powerful industries enable these horrific actions to continue to take place. The film is mature in the sense that its intent is to not villainize men at large. In fact, there are several male characters in the film that both directly and indirectly assist Jodi and Megan, as well as many working at the New York Times just as ready to blow the top off the story as the women.

‘She Said’ Rating – 4/5

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