Ela Disse

Sometimes a movie is a record of events, a record of the truth, which lifts its importance higher than mere entertainment. There have been some notable films about real events, history changing events, and beyond the independently high value of each film, none have come close to All the President's Men (1976).

There comes a moment in every film about journalism, that the size of the shark is revealed. In All the President's Men it is towards the end: "everyone is involved (...) your lives are in danger". In Spotlight (2015) it's when they realize the number of abusive priests, in Boston alone, is not five or six but over ninety. In She Said (2022) the size of the shark is revealed at the historical notes just before the end credits.

She Said, may not be about a crook of a US President or the systemic cover-up of abuse by the Catholic church, but it is about something that reaches far and wide in every corner of life and of the workplace: the abuse of women and the abusers' standard defense that the victims are making it up, and then paying them off for their silence.

Although the pace of the movie is slow and low key, like any investigative journalism is in real life, I would have wanted a few points of punctuation where we instantly realize we are going to need a bigger boat. Yes, such real-life points have been accurately transferred to the screen in She Said, but you have to look for them, they don't jump out at you, and if you are already sleeping you might miss them. This admittedly very well-made movie could do with a little more catering to audiences that need to be pinched awake once in a reel or so.

For years now I have stopped re-watching Weinstein's excellent movies because they were made by a despicable creature who hurt human beings while making these excellent movies. No Weinstein re-runs for me. And kudos to the New York Times investigative reporters and to the New York Times for going after a world-renowned film producer and, in the beginning of the movie, going after a presidential candidate. The producer is now serving 23 years and the candidate got elected. I wonder how much of this movie was also about our society itself, that harbors such people and promotes them. And, speaking of society depicted on film, I wonder how many negative "helpful's" I'll get as punishment for my previous phrase.

When the Weinstein story first broke out, I was absolutely seething for days. And watching this movie brought all those feelings back again.

I can't imagine what it must have been like for these women to deal with a monster like that, let alone be preyed upon and assaulted by him.

The film is a feminist version of All The President's Men mixed with Spotlight, in which a group of journalists work tirelessly and passionately to research and write a story that will ultimately change the world.

Although there is no character development, there are good performances all around, especially from Carey Mulligan and Jennifer Ehle.

To think that this was going on for literally decades and up until recently is just insane.

Brilliant, powerful film.

I totally agree, and 'She Said' is the movie bigger than Weinstein. Rather than focusing on scandalous aspects, 'She said' tries to find the root problem of sexual abuses in the workplace and the culture of building silence, following investigators' footsteps to the core. The spectrum of messages in the movie ranges from personal to structural and systematic. The film starts with things very personal. It portrays motherhood and working mothers' struggle. It allocates much screen time of protagonists interacting with their daughters, signifying that the victims are not 'them'; it could be us and that we have to try hard not to pass this culture to future generations. There are, of course, small but relatable things for women such as unsolicited approach in the bar and postpartum depression. However, this film does not stop there. It questions the integral issues deeply rooted in the societal system. After the sexual misconduct by an assailant who is probably higher in ranking, it's the victim who leaves the company. NDA is used against victims for intimidation of lawsuits. The company which is responsible for an abusive environment forces them to be silent under the name of LAW. It becomes the shield for an assailant with resources and power. Megan and Jodi point out how sexual harassment law is weak, almost non-existent and how Equal Employment Opportunity Commission conceals information dearly needed for public.

I appreciate not only the story itself but also how 'She Said' tells the story. Very realistic portrayal of the newsroom and how the news is made. No frills or dramas, just plainly how it is. In this way, the audience does not get mixed up with dramas but stays focused on the main narrative and the message.

Even though they did not get much screen time, Samantha Morton and Jennifer Ehle steal the show, freaking echoing the whole space with calm demeanor. Breathtaking performances from veterans.

A few years ago a female friend of mine casually mentioned that one day when she was twelve and biking around the neighborhood, a grown man made sexually explicit comments to her. This kind of came as a shock to me at first but she didn't even seem phased by it. This encounter came up randomly as part of an everyday conversation we were having and, looking back at it, the most shocking part of the story was my reaction to it. Because now I have fully opened my eyes to the horrors of unwanted sexual comments and actions that women face from a very, very, young age.

While watching She Said, I had this passing thought about what the world would be like if Harvey Weinstein was the only one of his kind. If what happened here was the only instance of anything of this sort happening. Not just the abuse of power aspect of it all, but the constant degradation and use of women as objects to fulfill some devious need. Perhaps in that world, there wouldn't be so many people immediately rating movies like this with the lowest score possible because they feel personally offended in some way. What is it about discussing the experience of women that offends men so much? What is it about the patriarchy that rubs off on some women and pushes them to call other women liars at once?

She Said is a wonderfully directed film that delves deep into some of the ins and outs of the 'Me Too' movement at its conception. The wonderful work of all journalists, namely Megan Twohey and Jodi Kantor is to be complimented to no end. They helped bring forth a much-needed shift in attitude, though unfortunately, some mindsets will never truly change. One of my favorite films of the year and I sure hope more people actually watch it and take it seriously rather than ignore it and hate it for speaking truth to power.

My wife and I watched this new movie streaming on NBC's Peacock. While it is a bit over two hours it is so gripping that it never seemed long. It comes across almost as a documentary but is a dramatization using actors mostly.

It actually starts in 2015 when Trump was campaigning for President and the revelations that he had a history of sexual mistreatment of women but was elected anyway. In effect pointing out the double standard and the old boys' attitudes of "well it was just locker-room talk."

After that brief introduction to the subject the rest of this movie shows how two reporters with the NY Times pursued leads regarding Harvey Weinstein of Miramax and was finally able to get a number of women to come forward with their accounts, ultimately leading to his convictions and imprisonment.