It can be hard to truly connect to things that feel redundant and arbitrary by nature. Namely, stories about journalism, and stories that have already been highly publicized and discussed ad nauseam. Confronting big issues dealing with the media and exposés have been demonized and discredited recently, with terms like “woke” and “lamestream media” being proverbial misnomers attributed to the best and worst of journalism. “She Said” can easily be dismissed as a rehashing of events already found to have a just conclusion, but cements itself as a film that should be told nonetheless. The work of the reporters involved as well as the women who finally found it safe to come forward provide a wholly new context to an exhaustive story somehow forgotten despite being extremely recent and still prevalent. “She Said” positions the work in exposing Hollywood’s most unspoken secret, and beautifully creates a riveting drama that solidifies the necessity of diligent journalism in the face of seemingly insurmountable obstacles and resistance.
Directed by german filmmaker and actress Maria Schrader from a script by Rebecca Lenkiewicz, “She Said” puts the journalism and investigative exposure of Harvey Weinstein front and center. At its core, the film is about the immense toll (both physically and emotionally) a story like this takes on its reporters, namely Megan Twohey (Carey Mulligan) and Jodi Kantor (Zoe Kazan) who are attributed with exposing the decades long scandals of Weinstein and great lengths to which his powerful hold over Hollywood allowed his misconduct to continue. Rather than spend too much time reimagining horrific events or overly dramatizing the subject matter of sexual assault, “She Said” opts to place journalistic integrity as its core theme. It rightly makes the exhaustive work of Kantor and Twohey as the catalyst for events, which in turn makes their failures and successes feel more resonating and personal. “She Said” is a film about honest, diligent journalism first, sexual assault exposure second.
This is the right move for Schrader and Lenkiewicz, as it helps to differentiate itself as just another Hollywood attempt at smoothing over its own enabling. “She Said” is much more in the vein of “Spotlight” than say, “Bombshell,” choosing to focus on what it takes to create an irrefutable story as well as the challenges that come when anyone, even the New York Times wants to clash against the powers that be. It also touches on the immense personal toll it takes on people willing to push through gatekeepers, with both reporters shown giving up their home lives (children, husbands, good old fashioned sleep) in hopes to truly uncover a powerful story. “She Said” wonderfully crafts the challenges and perseverance it takes to push past immoveable obstacles, with success coming from persistence and due diligence, hard work at all hours and a deep personal connection to the story.
Kazan and Mulligan are fantastic (as always, since both of them rarely miss), beautifully embodying reporters who are trying to manage their own personal lives while desperately trying to fight against a wave of resistance. “She Said” delivers by way of performances, with both of its leads clearly understanding what it takes to be a journalist, and even more so what it takes to attempt to uncover a story that hasn’t been challenged in decades. I’ve always been a fan of both of their work, and you can feel both Kazan and Mulligan have at least some personal connection to the story, wanting to expose this story not just for their embodiment of their characters, but for themselves to make sure no one (actress, assistant, accountant) ever has to experience the trauma at the hands of powerful men above reproach.
“She Said” does have a bit of formulaic narrative construction that holds it back from being truly great and as impactful as it seeks to be. Some of this comes from the fact that, despite working to shed light on an already convicted man, it is still very much a part of the Hollywood machine. That’s not to say that “She Said” doesn’t achieve what it seeks to accomplish (it does) or that a story like this is too little too late or even worse, not needed to be told because we already know how it ends. No, everything that “She Said” is trying to get across to audiences resonates deeply, and you should absolutely take heed and pay attention because Weinstein isn’t the end all, be all of a toxic system that promotes and protects volatile, violent men who use their power to dominate women. Hell, David O’Russell got to make his star studded “Amsterdam” just this year despite it being a very open secret that he is an absolute monster to women on set. So as much as “She Said” works to expose the system that let Weinstein exist in the first place, I don’t think it goes far enough in breaking down the machine that creates monsters.
Despite existing in somewhat of a vacuum, the lack of dramatization and slow burn pacing of journalism is actually “She Said” thrives for me. I’m an absolute sucker for realism, especially when it comes to things that are personal to me as a writer and journalist. So while some may find the mundane day in and day out investigation of big stories that largely involve unanswered calls, emails, and vague conversations that unfortunately amount to nothing due to the “off record” nature of many of the conversations may feel dull and uninspiring, “She Said” smartly stays true to its demonstrative integrity of those things. Much like the New York Times itself withholding from publishing the story on rumors and hearsay, these are the kinds of stories that enact true change and have the greatest impact on change itself. So while “She Said” may struggle with drama and glamor, what it speaks to and wants to convey is largely successful and gets to the true nature of what it takes to expose the underbelly of some of our most cherished systems.
The truth is, and what “She Said” is trying to expose, is that we need journalists. It can be easy to write them off and dismiss them as just another vulture like predator hoping to topple anyone who finds some good in their life. But that kind of thinking paired with the general audience ambivelance and exhaustion of stories like this are exactly why they need to exist. Every mass shooting is one step closer to complacency and indifference, and the prevalence of sexual assault in countless industries functions the same. It’s easy to roll your eyes and say “not another ‘men are shit’ woke #metoo story,” but it’s exactly that kind of attitude that allowed Weinstein to thrive as predator for so long. “She Said” doesn’t care if you’re tired of hearing it or if it feels too soon considering the trials are still currently ongoing.
What needs to be said and discussed and continually rehashed is the whole damn system itself. Weinstein is the predator , sure. But the enablers, the lawyers, the handlers, the studios, the whole Hollywood construct that fosters this kind of behavior needs to be on trial. Just because you’re tired of hearing about it doesn’t mean it isn’t happening, and “She Said” may be an ill timed reminder due to recency biased, but its place and story is necessary nonetheless. If 2020 has taught me anything, it’s that “the pandemic isn’t over just because you’re over it.” The instinct to say this story doesn’t need to be told simply because its perpetrator has been found guilty is a fallacy that leads to complacency and the indifference of men. Being an ally is more than just saying “rape is bad.” That’s the minimum requirement for even being able to have a just conversation.
Being wiling to engage with ongoing discussions and exposures like “She Said” is what separates the true allies of protections of women and fight against the powers that enable abuse. You don’t really even have to like the film overall, as it does suffer from being rather formulaic in its approach despite only having a few films that focus on the journalism itself. What is not ok is to dismiss “She Said” on the basis of its content. That wanting to tell this story despite having a real time conclusion of events somehow nullify its purpose. It doesn’t, and films like “She Said” should continue exists regardless of how tired you are of hearing about sexual assault. Newsflash, men are awful, rarely face consequences here and this issue wasn’t solved by bringing Weinstein to justice. “She Said” celebrates the small victory through truthful investigate but never once purports that it has solved everything with one story.
The hard truth: sexual assault doesn’t stop because “She Said” recounts the exposure of a prominent predator. And this is a film that, regardless of whether or not you feel it should be told or if it resonants as much as it should, needs to exist. If for nothing else, for its reminder that not all media is morally absent or bought and paid for by corrupt powers. That true journalism is exhausting and diligent, and often met with intense opposition and resistance. Look, I’m not here to defend the antics of TMZ or give any validity to bullshit like WeGotThisCovered. But I will defend honest journalism that works to expose stories that need to be told regardless of how tired we are of hearing about them. The work of the reporters portrayed in “She Said” help to reframe their work as deeply vital to the ongoing discussion, and the catalyst for a new movement that no longer stands for abuse and abuse of power.
It’s gonna be easy to write “She Said” off as just another redundant attempt at exposing things we already know. But I would encourage everyone to give it a chance. It is a well made, slow burn realistic drama that doesn’t seek to rely on embellishment to retell a familiar or rather, highly publicized story. The performances are strong, and the patience of exploring true journalism is important to experience, especially because all of the integrity, both the people workin on the stories and people asked to tell those stories are constantly under fire and called into question.
“She Said” may not be the film we want to engage with, but it’s a film we need right now whether we think we do or not.
Rating: 4 out of 5 Stars
“She Said” is now playing in theaters. You can watch the trailer below.
