‘She Said’ and someone listened | Arts & Entertainment … – The Daily Planet
This has been a strange year for prestige films. The holiday season used to be the prime time for buzzworthy Oscar films to have their big screen debuts after playing at film festivals in the fall. This year, some of those films only had cinematic releases in major cities and then went direct to streaming platforms.
Sadly, that meant films like “The Glass Onion,” the second film in the “Knives Out” series, is now streaming on Netflix. Comedy plays better in a big room where an audience’s laughter can be infectious. Is it as funny if no one else is laughing? And a murder mystery with great production design is better appreciated on a big screen. Whereas other films like “Spoiler Alert,” the nuanced drama about a gay couple facing tragedy with grace, seemed stranded at the cineplex. Yes, it was a film worthy of a big screen release. Was it a good film for the holidays?
“She Said,” a dramatization of real events, is another film that’s not had enough promotion or big screen love. Opening on Friday at The Nugget, “She Said” gives us the perspective of the New York Times investigative reporters who broke the Harvey Weinstein story that began the #MeToo movement. A brilliant adaptation of “She Said: Breaking the Sexual Harassment Story That Helped Ignite a Movement,” written by Jodi Kantor and Megan Twohey.
Zoe Kazan portrays Kantor, and Carey Mulligan plays Twohey in a film that’s in turns gripping, suspenseful and eye-opening. Director Maria Schrader (“I’m Your Man,” “Unorthodox” miniseries) invites us into these women’s lives. This isn’t a procedural film or a courtroom drama; we witness the everyday lives of two working women. They may be reporting on harassment in Hollywood, but it’s clear they’ve experienced their own challenges in the newsroom and their lives.
One woman is suffering post-partum depression, something rarely discussed and almost never seen on the big screen. There are domestic scenes of lunch-packing and kisses from spouses as they leave for work. Discussions take place late at night in bed, and confidences are shared over the phone while nursing a baby. These gals were overcoming their own challenges and bringing their own pain and insecurities to the table to convince other women to share their traumas.
The reporters traveled to women’s homes and even overseas to speak one-on-one with victims to establish a rapport and trust. It’s clear that by putting in the long hours and sharing their own stories, Kaplan and Twohey were able to gain the trust they needed to bring these stories to light.
Reminding you of other quality newsroom dramas like “The Post” (2017) or “Spotlight” (2015), “She Said” is a more feminist tale. The emphasis is on the women who’ve suffered and been denied justice, and the narrative drive stems from whether anyone will speak “on the record.” It’s one thing to collect horror stories of careers sidelined or ruined, and quite another to publish a fact-based piece that will lead to real change.
The women give bracingly real performances with great support from Patricia Clarkson as their editor and Samantha Morton as a victim willing to fight. Ashley Judd bravely plays herself, and though she’s not on camera, Gwyneth Paltrow allows her story to be told. Even if you know the outcome of the story, watching it unfold drives home how fraught the whole process was. There was a lot on the line. When the mouse clicks on “PUBLISH” and the newsprint rolls off the press, the truth is revealed, and it makes you want to cheer.
Drinks with Films rating: 4 cups of coffee, needed to get the job done out of 5