‘She Said’ illuminates laborious path to ‘#MeToo’ movement
The new movie ‘She said’ premiered Nov. 18 and follows the story of how former Hollywood producer Harvey Weinstein was exposed for his decades of sexual harrasment by an exposé written by two journalists. The movie recalls the events that took place and includes key contributors to the real article in the movie production.
From frustrating defeats to exhilarating triumphs, “She Said” tells the tale of reporters Jodie Kantor and Megan Twohey’s journey in exposing the ignored and covered-up sexual abuse in Hollywood which prompted the #MeToo movement.
The story follows the many leads and dead-ends of Kantor (Zoe Kazan), and Twohey’s (Carey Mulligan) experiences in taking down former film producer and convicted sex-offender Harvey Weinstein in 2017. Along the way, they “uncover a vast network of enablers who helped Weinstein not only commit his crimes but also keep them hidden, via settlements and non-disclosure agreements,” NPR wrote in an online review.
As claimed by CNN, “The hard work of journalism doesn’t always readily translate to the screen, a problem magnified as doors slammed in faces has been supplanted by cell phone hang-ups and ignored texts.” However, throughout the film, Kantor and Twohey track down former assistants and employees of Weinstein through a rigorous and captivating process, displaying the rigorous work present in journalism. The movie did an outstanding job at exhibiting their determination to find out the truth in a riveting way.
The movie is also very authentic, as it even contains actors who were part of the real exposé creation process. “The producer Dede Gardner spent months talking to Zelda Perkins, a former Weinstein assistant based in Britain,” The New York Times said. “Schrader met with Ashley Judd in Berlin and persuaded the actress to play herself in the film. And the screenwriter Rebecca Lenkiewicz went to Swansea, Wales, to meet Laura Madden.”
“She Said” portrays an incredibly important moment in women’s justice that continues to impact the world today.
— Jolie Gefen ’24
While the movie exhibits the extensive process of creating the article that took down Harvey Weinstein, it does not show the viewer the events that transpired following it. In response to the article’s publication, “The list of Weinstein’s accusers eventually grew to several dozen women, ranging from well-known actresses like Ashley Judd and Gwyneth Paltrow to women who had worked for as little as one day at Miramax or the Weinstein Company,” History.com said. This article was the first step in revealing what occurs behind closed doors to young women in Hollywood, which generated the #MeToo movement and powerful men being held accountable.
For those interested in knowing how the #MeToo movement was started or the rollercoaster of investigative journalism, this movie is a must-watch. For those with no interest in nonfictional movies, this movie might not be a favorite. Nevertheless, the movie was incredibly informative, powerful and stayed gripping throughout the entire 129 minutes. ‘She Said’ portrays an incredibly important moment in women’s justice that continues to impact the world today.
Web Managing Editor Jolie Gefen ’24 understands what it means to manage and organize, as this past summer she worked as a camp counselor for Westport’s...
