What does it take to create groundbreaking journalism with an impact beyond words on a page or screen?
That’s the literal question at the centre of She Said, the stark and absorbing new biography drama that chronicles the work of three women who published the first new story about the now widely known sex crimes of famed producer Harvey Weinstein.
Even though it was just five years ago, the global impact of the #MeToo movement, calling for accountability in workplace sexual harassment and assault, started with a few critical media reports - including that of the New York Times into Weinstein, taking several months to pursue.
The film is a dramatized, though grounded, recreation of how three women lead the investigation in early 2017: reporters Jodi Kantor (Zoe Kazan) and Megan Twohey (Carey Mulligan) and their editor Rebecca Corbett (Patricia Clarkson).
The source story of She Said is truly about what it took for them and the New York Times staff to bring the results of their investigation into broad public attention. These are three brilliant characters, especially those of Kantor and Twohey, that are masterfully performed.
She Said loses some of its clarity, however, in the number of interview subjects and characters who were part of the investigation. Every account was and is certainly important in real-life - but in a two-hour movie, tighter screenwriting and editing could’ve brought a more effective focus on the reporting.
Because there are more than a dozen interviews and subject featured in the screenplay, it becomes difficult by the end to remember who each member of the cast is and what the interconnected relationships are.
While occasionally confusing, it in no way detracts from the final impact when the story is published and how deeply affecting the investigation into both Weinstein’s and institutional sexual assault was, and how signifiant the ramifications have been.
Lead actors Kazan, Mulligan and Clarkson are all excellent showing their diligence and effort as reporters, researchers, allies and members of their own families. Kazan in particular is given enormous time to shine as she conducts interviews with silenced victims. One cameo of Ashley Judd, recreating her real-life part in the investigation, was a short but memorable addition of authenticity.
Authenticity and attention to detail is clear in outlining how the reporting was done, even if some of the personal risks were downplayed. Many key moments are visually or orally hinted act, but never explicitly depicted.
This makes sense for re-enactments of the criminal events (such as assault or rape, for which a re-enactment would be unnecessary and inappropriate), but not recreating the most dramatic in-person meetings, including one with Weinstein himself, withholds some of the most dramatic moments from the story.
The final edit of this film is a good enough execution of an outstanding series of events that comprise multiple great stories. The actors and the plot are the best details, and those alone make She Said worth seeing.
It comes up short of truly great journalism films like All the President’s Men or the 2015 Oscar winning Spotlight. It’s more in line with the tone of Steven Spielberg's lesser-seen The Post.
As a reporter of much lower-stakes work and with a far smaller audience than the New York Times (still the most read newspaper in the world), it is personally gratifying to see the work of other journalists depicted on screen. These women could unquestionably work circles around me - and their efforts are inspiring to all.
She Said
8 out of 10
14A, 2hrs 9mins. Biography Drama.
Directed by Maria Schrader.
Starring Zoe Kazan, Carey Mulligan and Patricia Clarkson.
Now Playing at Cineplex Winston Churchill and Cineplex Oakville & VIP.
