She Said

In some ways, it feels slightly premature for there to be a film about Harvey Weinstein’s sexual predation, given that his court case is still ongoing and, therefore, the true extent of his crimes remain unknown.

Alas, Maria Schrader’s tight picture offers an essential reminder of the damage that unchecked male privilege causes and the bravery that goes into any effort to reset such well-ingrained societal structures.

Telling the story of the New York Time’s investigation into Weinstein’s shocking offences, She Said is a sobering procedural that lays bare the extent to which Hollywood insulated one of its favourite sons from prosecution. It is a diligent film that works in service of the women whose story it seeks to tell and is anchored by two excellent performances from Carey Mulligan and Zoe Kazan.

Perhaps the grimmest aspect of this tale on reflection is that Weinstein is only one man, leading one to wonder how many other powerful people’s actions are continuing to go unchallenged. There is no doubt that the #MeToo movement has inspired change, but we have a long way to go before preordained attitudes can be reset entirely.

Films like this, however, can only help to get us there faster.