Tipped for awards success, but flopping at the US box office, She Said chronicles the downfall of movie mogul Harvey Weinstein. In 2017, New York Times reporter Jodi Kantor (Zoe Kazan) receives a tip that actress Rose McGowan (Kelly McQuail) was abused by Weinstein. She finds other actresses and former Miramax staff who also suffered at his hands. However, they are unwilling to go on the record because of the implications for their career or have already signed Non Disclosure Agreements. Hitting a brick wall, Kantor turns to her colleague Megan Twohey (Carey Mulligan) for help. With the assistance of editors Rebecca Corbett (Patricia Clarkson) and Dean Baquet (Andre Braugher) they painstakingly uncover the extent of the offending.
The rapist’s downfall is pretty well-known, but this film documents the work of the two journalists to uncover the truth. I am a sucker for films about newspaper reporters, and whilst this does not reach the heights of All The President’s Men, but frankly what does, it is at least as good as the multi-award winning Spotlight from 2015. The revelations, the sheer scale of his crimes and the efforts of the enablers who covered them up are all shocking, however much you might think about the case.
Based on the book of the same name by Kantor and Twohey, Rebecca Lenkiewicz’s sharp script does not have a wasted scene, even when the attention moves to the reporters’ personal lives. The introduction to Twohey’s character, tying-in some of Donald Trump’s worst offences works particularly well. Maria Schrader’s direction is clean, eschewing any fancy tricks to liven-up the action. The acting is terrific all-round, with immensely talented performers such as Samantha Morton (in one key scene) and Molly Windsor given small roles and Ashley Judd making a telling contribution as herself.
Probably set to miss out on major awards – I can see it maybe sneaking into the Oscar best film nominations if the list extends to ten next year, and possibly an adapted screenplay nomination – She Said will be very near the top of my best of the year list.
Rating: 9.5 out of 10