She Said (2022)

Directed by Maria Schrader

She Said tells the story of the investigative piece on Harvey Weinstein’s decades-long sexual abuse of his female co-workers, written by Megan Twohey (Carey Mulligan) and Jodi Kantor (Zoe Kazan) for the New York Times. After publication more and more women came forward to accuse H.W. of sexual misconduct, which expanded into the MeToo-movement, giving women a safe space to come forward with their own stories of abuse and assault.

Schrader took on an immense responsibility with this project which she fulfilled admirably. From the get-go the movie focuses exclusively on the experience of the women whose voices were suppressed by intimidation, NDAs and out-of-court settlements. Although the source material offers plenty of scandalous even sleazy details, the movie never slips into exploitation. The more harrowing are the victims’ own spoken recollections of the events, which they are free to tell in their own way without leading questions or demands for more details.

H.W. is a constant looming threat throughout the movie that no-one dares to go against and who has to be exposed, before he does more harm. And so Twohey and Kantor meticulously deconstruct the system of silence and abuse he built over the years which protected him and abusers like him, one phone call and witness at time. 

The atmosphere is tense but controlled, thanks to the subdued score (Nicholas Brittel) and tight editing (Hansjörg Weißbrich). The chemistry between the editorial staff and especially the two leads is palpable and the actresses who play H.W. 's victims do so with delicate restraint. Some of them even play themselves which adds a layer of credibility to the movie and I admire them deeply for doing so.

All in all, She Said is a great movie about a momentous cultural and historical milestone. How speaking truth to power is only possible, when there is strength in numbers and by deconstructing the abusive systems that uphold and protect this power in the first place.