I confess that I had high expectations from ‘She Said‘, the docu-drama based on the report written by Jodi Kantor and Megan Twohey, the two New York Times reporters who revealed in the book with the same name the story of the journalistic investigation related to the sex crimes committed by Harvey Weinstein and especially their fight to break the wall of silence and convince some of his victims to reveal what they had been through. The subject, of course, is fascinating, and remains relevant. The film didn’t exactly turn out to be an introspective investigation into Hollywood, the mores and institutions that have protected Weinstein and his deeds for too many years. This theme is indirectly present in the film, from the testimonies of the victims. Other films may tackle it more directly in the future. As in the book, the focus in ‘She Said‘ is on the work of the two reporters and the news organization they belong to. This is OK from my perspective – newspaper offices have been the backdrop for many interesting films. My expectations were, however, even more amplified by the fact that the film director is Maria Schrader, a fine actress (she does not appear in the film, however) and German filmmaker, the author of one of the (not very many) films that are rated 10 in my list of reviews on IMDB (I am referring to ‘Stefan Zweig: Farewell to Europe‘). Promising also was the presence in the cast in one of the lead roles of Zoe Kazan, one of the most talented American young actresses of the moment, who had been formidable in the TV mini-series ‘The Plot Against America ‘. To my joy, my expectations were almost totally confirmed.
Many of the film’s scenes take place in the offices of the New York Times, and to reinforce authenticity, filming took place there. In other scenes, the viewers are introduced to the homes and family environments of the two journalists and accompany the reporters to meetings with potential witnesses. These are mostly women, victims of Waxman’s assaults, intimidated into silence by his social standing, by the machinery of lawyers and big studio officials around him and in his service, and by the non-disclosure agreements they were bound to sign, sometimes receiving compensation to buy their silence. It can be said that in addition to the documentary part, the strength of the film lies in the brave but also sensible approach to the problem of the silence of victims in cases of sexual assault, to the huge personal, social and career price they pay when they complain against the aggressors at the top social scale. Without being violent at almost any moment (with the exception of some verbal outbursts), the film renders a permanent atmosphere of pressure. A horror film in a way, where the victims are terrorized twice – by the crimes committed against them and by the pressure exerted upon them when they try to complain or reveal the truth.
There are illustrious precedents for ‘She Said‘ in the journalism film genre. Many times ‘All the President’s Men‘ is mentioned, but this is not the only example. The authenticity of this docu-drama is of course one of its great qualities. It is not only about the use of authentic locations in filming , but also about texts (dialogues, testimonies or extracts from electronic communications) that are spoken or played as they were in reality. Also participating are some of the real characters of the drama that took place in 2017. The most famous is the actress Ashley Judd who plays her own role. Others agreed with their real names being mentioned, any way most if not all were publicly known from the press and from the book published in 2019. The professional actors who interpret the rest of the roles do it with sincerity and the border between documentary and drama is practically invisible in this film. Of course, the female journalist couple played by Carey Mulligan and Zoe Kazan dominate the cast. Their approach constantly suggests emotional involvement, empathy for the victims combined with the efforts to induce in them the courage to break the wall of silence, anger at the horrors they reveal in balance with the professionalism required by the journalist’s job. ‘She Said‘ largely succeeds in its mission. The drama that gave birth to the global ‘#Me Too’ movement is being reenacted. The film ends with some texts describing the progress made in recent years, also thanks to the courage of the heroes in the film. I think however that it is only a beginning, maybe some early battles won in a war that will be long and difficult. Equality and respect between the sexes in the workplace is still a distant goal in many countries in the world and in many industries and work places. Even in the countries considered more advanced in this respect, in other industries and even in the film industry, there are still many Harvey Weinsteins out there. This film will not be the last to tackle these complex realities.