The Assistant

Let's just say, that whoever did this, has experience when it comes to the life of an assistant. There is nothing fancy here and the ticks and tocks are subtle and not in your face. The life of an Assistant is not glamouros (in realityt that is and in the way it is depicted here) - this could easily be a documentary then.

So your patience is being tested in a way, one would say. The movie is interesting to some then and annoying to boring to others. Be aware to which group you belong and act accordingly (watch or don't that is)

It's impressive how this movie is so low key and just shows what is likely a very ordinary day for the protagonist, yet still remains interesting and unnerving to watch. Entertaining might not be the best word to describe it, but neither is boring. It maintains a sense of quiet discomfort throughout, and the apathy of a toxic workplace and predatory behaviour of the higher-ups is explored extremely well with this stripped down, non-heightened approach.

I was glad I knew it was subdued and grounded before going in, as if I'd expected more, I may have spent all 80-something minutes of its runtime waiting for the "plot" to start happening.

Despite it being quiet and low key, it's also definitely not subtle. It's pretty clear what (or arguably even who) the movie is about, and I guess the very dry, quiet presentation with the strong and far from subdued intentions of the film did make for an odd but usually interesting contrast.

Also worth mentioning is that Julia Garner was great in the lead role, but the rest of the cast are mostly just decent.

I was an assistant at a major studio for a dysfunctional exec. I came from a Northwestern-like school, and I had the same aspirations as Julia Garner. I smoked on my rare breaks, I ate horribly, and I had almost no personal time...so i think this film nailed it. The PTSD is real.

It makes me wish everyone in the entertainment business could loosen up and have more fun. Because everyone does seem to take themselves so extremely seriously. It's a creative business filled with uncreative people, at least in the executive chairs.

Assistants go through hell but they're the life blood of the industry. Give them the respect they deserve.

The film itself was shot beautifully, and even though I wish it had given a POV that went beyond Garner's glum expressions, it did capture a great day in the life. Garner and MacFadyen were both outstanding.

...only without the comfort of exaggeration or fantasy. Green employs exquisite camera composition to make the drab office environments a thing of sterile beauty, while Garner controls every uncomfortable on-screen moment with brilliantly still misery. Dehumanizing phone calls, oppressive mundanity, hopeless sexism. It's a painstakingly meticulous view into the soul-crushing work of the assistant to the powerful, especially when the roles are this cliched: man over woman.

I really enjoyed this film, it feels real and doesn't give in to sensationalism. If you're looking for thrills and spills then this isn't it.