The Insistence Of Silent Rage
Two brave journalists from the New York Times worked together to bring down Harvey Weinstein who was one of the most powerful producers in Hollywood in the 20th century, sparking a major movement in the end. Films about the journey to expose corruption are something we’ve all seen many times. It's hardly anything new and while She Said isn’t either, it focuses on the victims more than I thought they would, which felt refreshing. They don’t feel like pawns to keep the story going. The interview scenes are never rushed and She Said takes its time in letting these women be heard. Zoe Kazan and Carey Mulligan are once again outstanding in their leading roles. They are generous vessels to the story while still crediting their role in exposing Weinstein. The realities of a journalist are never shied away from and neither is the psychological toll traumatic reporting can take on them. Mulligan in particular can always be counted on to bring something unexpected to the role and the silent rage she projects whilst maintaining her calm and casual mannerisms will sometimes explode but only at the right moments. Everybody breaks.
There is a moment midway through where you see various hotel corridors and the screen lingers on them as you hear actual recordings of an encounter between Weinstein and one of his victims. This is the scene that says it all. Samantha Morten also strikes a raw core as Zelda, one of Weinstein’s former assistants. She speaks with an insistence that says even if Weinstein falls, there will be others to bring down as well. That insistence is what She Said is all about because there’s never a deep breath of relief in this global problem. Only a strong inhale before looking at the next example of it.
“She Said.” IMDb, IMDb.com, 18 Nov. 2022, https://www.imdb.com/title/tt14807308/.