She Said Movie Review

One of the biggest human rights movements in recent years has been the #MeToo movement. In 2017 many women from across the globe were inspired and empowered to report sexual harassment, assault and other indecent incidents after a New York Times article written by journalists Jodi Kantor and Megan Twohey, breaking the news of the vile behaviour of now defamed film producer Harvey Weinstein, with accusations going back decades. This story was begging for the big screen treatment, as the #MeToo movement spread across the globe, more and more celebrities were being called out for their past indiscretions, inappropriate behaviour and in some cases, sexual assault. ‘She Said’ follows journalists Jodi Kantor (Zoe Kazan) and Megan Twohey (Carey Mulligan) as they investigate Harvey Weinstein, hearing the stories of his victims, and launching the #MeToo movement into the public's consciousness. As someone who was aware of the story, but not as familiar with the finer details of this article and the investigative work of Kator and Twohey, I found this film fascinating, empowering and incredibly well told.

The strengths of She Said lie with the film's impressive lead performances. Zoe Kazan (The Big Sick and Monster) continues to impress, with yet another strong performance. Her portrayal of Kantor is mesmerising, as we see her passion shine through, wanting to tell this story and expose one of Hollywood’s biggest movie moguls. Kazan is complemented by the work of Academy Award Nominee Carey Mulligan, who follows up her Oscar nominated turn in promising Young Woman, with yet another fantastic performance. Megan Twohey is beaten down by the system. We see she has had a couple of unsuccessful stories that aimed to shine a light on a very similar issue, but unfortunately, the story was unable to gain the traction she was hoping. We see her pick-up the pieces of her life, in a powerful way, as she learns to love her job again, and works with Kantor to expose Weinstein. The two performances are just fantastic and are the pillar for this story.

Director Maria Schrader also does a fantastic job here as well, telling this story through an investigative lens, shining a light on the victims and bringing their stories to the forefront of the film. As I mentioned, I was unfamiliar with the investigative effort of this story, so to see it brought to life in such an emotional yet empowering way, was really inspiring for me personally. This is Schrader’s first foray into feature length films for a studio and I think she does a terrific job of making the audience connect with the story, whilst never taking away from the real-life drama that surrounded this story. Its tasteful and respectful and I have a huge admiration for Schrader and what she has done here.

Overall, She Said is a thought-provoking drama that is elevated by its terrific cast, amazing direction and emotionally charged story. This is a memorable drama that is well-worth your time especially if you are unfamiliar with the story. She Said can be picked up from Sanity on DVD – Collector’s Edition. It’s one you will definitely want as part of your collection. 

Buy She Said on DVD here

Christopher Pattison wrote this blog post for Sanity. See more from Chris here