Film Pick of the Week: She Said - review by Yvette Huddleston
Based on the investigations of two New York Times journalists – Megan Twohey and Jodi Kantor – who first broke the story about the numerous allegations of sexual harassment, intimidation and violence against Hollywood film producer Harvey Weinstein, this powerful drama is adapted by playwright and screenwriter Rebecca Lenkiewicz from the journalists’ book of the same name, and directed by Maria Schrader.
Carey Mulligan and Zoe Kazan star as Twohey and Kantor respectively and both give excellent performances, portraying the professionalism, dogged persistence and unwavering commitment of the two reporters to giving Weinstein’s victims a voice.
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Hide AdRumours had been swirling around for years about Weinstein, now disgraced and imprisoned for his crimes, but as a wealthy man in a powerful position he had been able to silence his victims through threatening their future careers and using NDA pay-offs to silence them.
The narrative follows Twohey and Kantor’s investigation from the beginning when Kantor receives a tip-off that the actor Rose McGowan has said she was sexually assaulted by Weinstein. When Kantor approaches her for comment, she initially declines but then calls her back and describes a shocking encounter with Weinstein in a hotel room when she was just 23. Later Kantor speaks to Ashley Judd and Gwyneth Paltrow who both tell her of similar experiences but are reluctant to go on the record for an article. Kantor then joins forces with Twohey and together they begin to find other victims willing to talk, but they need to persuade them to give their consent to be named in their piece.
There are fine performances from a classy supporting cast including Patricia Clarkson as the NYT’s investigations editor, Samantha Morton as Zelda Perkins and Jennifer Ehle as Laura Madden who both worked in Weinstein’s London production office in the 1990s, and Ashley Judd as herself. Thanks to Judd and Madden agreeing to go on the record, the article was eventually published in October 2017. After its publication, many more women came forward, 82 in all, with their own allegations against Weinstein and eventually it led to legal and workplace reform.
Admirably non-sensationalist, the film focuses on the efforts of the two reporters and their supportive senior editorial team in getting to the truth. Ultimately as much as anything there is a powerful message here about the importance of listening to women’s testimony and the vital role this kind of investigative journalism plays in holding people to account.