Carey Mulligan and Zoe Kazan star in the engrossing true-story drama SHE SAID, which throws a spotlight on the two New York Times women journalists whose investigation helped spark the “Me Too” movement.
SHE SAID evokes the classic ALL THE PRESIDENTS MEN but this surprisingly kinetic, compellingly watchable investigative journalism drama at times feels a bit like a tense mystery-thriller. The film keeps the two investigative journalists, Jodi Kantor (Zoe Kazan) and Megan Twohey (Carey Mulligan), at the center of the story but it also gives a remarkably realistic picture of how journalism is done. SHE SAID’s storytelling highlights the importance of investigative journalism itself, the kind of reporting that uncovers wrongdoing and starts the process to hold the guilty responsible, the kind of vitally-important journalism in a democracy that is most at risk of being lost in the current news industry crisis.
Director Maria Schrader crafts a firecracker of a drama, one that is surprisingly restless and kinetic as well as deeply involving. SHE SAID is based on the New York Times investigation by reporters Jodi Kantor, Megan Twohey and Rebecca Corbett, and Kantor and Twohey’s book “She Said: Breaking the Sexual Harassment Story That Helped Ignite a Movement.” Patricia Clarkson plays editor Rebecca Corbett, managing the story from the newsroom, but the major focus is on the pair of investigative reporters pounding the pavement.
Carey Mulligan, who was so powerful in A PROMISING YOUNG WOMAN, plays Megan Twohey, a hard-hitting seasoned journalist who also gives birth while working on this ground-breaking story. She shares this investigation with another, less experienced New Times journalist, Jodi Kantor (Zoe Kazan). At first, the story does not look like something groundbreaking, as the two work on an investigation into work-place sexual harassment in larger corporations, but a tip shifts the focus to a new industry. With its liberal reputation, the journalists are surprised by the tip about harassment and abuse in the movie industry, and the trail quickly points to one person in particular, powerful producer Harvey Weinstein.
Others had tried and failed to break this story over the years, not just about this one man but others as well, but had hit a wall of silence that shut things down. There were lots of stories and rumors about Weinstein but frustratingly no one who wants to go on record or even name names. As Kantor and Twohey dig deeper, they go down a rabbit hole of leads that uncovers a hidden network of cover-ups, secrecy and fear, that soon sparks a paranoid feeling of being watched by a shadowy, powerful and well-connected force.
Carey Mulligan, who was so remarkable in A PROMISING YOUNG WOMAN, plays Megan Twohey, a hard-hitting New Times journalist who starts this investigation shortly before giving birth and rejoins it on returning to work. It is the kind of personal, refreshingly real, slice of life detail that gives depth to both characters. Twohey shares this investigation with Jodi Kantor (Zoe Kazan), a less-seasoned journalist and a woman who is already a parent, giving a nice personal counter-balance to their professional relationship. We are used to seeing Kazan in more comedic roles in films like THE BIG SICK but she does very well here in this more serious part, where she creates a character who is driven in her work but warm on a personal level.
As the two journalists, peel back the layers concealing the abuse, SHE SAID builds suspense, with the reporters hit barrier after barrier and tracking down leads that seem to go to dead ends. This well-written drama crafts a strikingly realistic picture of how journalism is actually done, but it also takes us into these reporters’ private lives, giving us warm glimpses into their family lives and painting a portrait of striving for work/life balance.
Rather than a drama that unfolds mostly in the newsroom, as we might expect, director Maria Schrader and screenwriter Rebecca Lenkiewicz open up the story by sending the two reporters out into the streets and into the homes of sources and possible abuse victims. The two women are often headed in divergent directions, which creates a restlessness and kinetic sense, with Twohey and Kantor frequently in motion, racing place to place, even country to country as they pursue the story. That restless energy is thanks in part to excellent editing but also the director’s choice in how she presents the work of these two hard-working women journalists. The camera follows them as they walk and travel, periodically bringing them back together to share findings or back to the newsroom to confer with editors about next steps.
This collaborative partnership between the tough, more experienced Twohey and the eager, newer reporter Kantor is one of the delights of the film, and Carey Mulligan and Zoe Kazan are wonderful together. The script balances their professional relationship with scenes of home life for both, as they care for children and as Twohey struggles with post-partum depression.
As the journalists follow their leads, the biggest challenge is the lack of sources willing to go on record. They hear chilling stories but tying names to events is hard. Time and again, a new lead ends with a person gagged by a non-disclosure agreement or just fear of professional suicide. Lurking behind it, increasingly, is a single figure, one name.
Editors Rebecca Corbett (Patricia Clarkson) and Dean Baquet (Andre Braugher) provide strong support and guidance, even approving funds to travel to distant places. Andre Braugher’s Baquet provides advice on dealing with Harvey Weinstein in particular, someone with whom he has had dealings, which leads to some intriguing scenes where he speaks with him by phone or in person.
Director Schrader cleverly handles scenes with famous people, such as Weinstein and Donald Trump, by shooting actors playing them from behind. An exception is Ashley Judd, who plays herself, mirroring her role as a crucial voice in breaking this story and sparking the movement that followed.
But most of the people the reporters interview are not famous, and we are surprising time in again by familiar faces in some of these roles. Seeing these gifted actors, including Samantha Morton and Jennifer Ehle, adds a extra level of enjoyment and moments of surprise to this excellent film.
SHE SAID is top contender for awards. It is a compelling true story drama focused on both the two women whose dogged reporting blew open a long hidden secret, and the story they uncovered that helped launch a movement. In a way, the film itself is a triumph of exactly the kind of talented women being held down by the abuse the reporters revealed. SHE SAID is a brilliantly directed and written women-helmed film with a strong women-centric true story with outstanding, rounded female performances, making it both a story about women finding their voices and example of what women film-makers can accomplish.
SHE SAID opens Friday, Nov. 18, in theaters.
RATING: 4 out of 4 stars
