She Said Review - Said A Lot About Horrible True Events Of Decades-Old Sexism

Maria Schrader's She Said is a true story (with enough fiction) based on a New York Times investigation that exposed Harvey Weinstein's abuse and sexual misconduct against women at the workplace. The film depicts decades-old sexism, but this time we have a modern story of a famous celebrity. Frankly speaking, the story had a bigger scope to spread its wings since it is very much a feminist story, but somewhere, the cinematic majesty is missing. The entire journalism angle looked outdated and tedious since I have already seen better classics like All The President's Men (1976) and Spotlight (2015). I deliberately avoided mentioning Network (1976), as it is more about filthy journalism than honest journalism. Okay, so She Said had all those positive qualities such as honesty, dedication, fighting against bad and raising voice against crimes, etc., but what's new there? Since we have read enough about Weinstein already, there is no way this film can offer you anything different and important unless you enjoy fiction or cinematic liberty more than the film itself.The film is based on the noble work done by two New York Times journalists, Megan Twohey (Carey Mulligan) and Jodi Kantor (Zeo Kazan). While searching for a feature story on a sensitive issue like sexual abuse at the workplace, Twohey and Kantor discover Harvey Weinstein's wrongdoings that haven't been taken seriously. Weinstein's crimes have never been reported, or filled legally on a high level when reported; hence, the voices against him are either mute or out of network. Twohey and Kantor team up and get into deep study, searching, and documentation of the same, while several facts leave them shattered during their investigation. She Said is all about their constant efforts to find proof against the culprits and raise their voice against women's abuse at the workplace or, for that matter, anywhere else.She Said is an authentic script, despite a few fictional elements, but the screenplay is a big letdown. It just doesn't hold you or your attention long enough. So we know that they are investigating and are supposed to meet women, hear about their experiences, and get them on record to teach a lesson to the culprit. But where's the unique storytelling here? The screenplay is so dragged out and poorly written that you feel like skipping the rest of the show and reading the book to know the results immediately. Having a slow pace is not a problem here; the problem is missing out on the drama and cinematic arrangements of an engaging thriller. She Said takes too much time to say things that you already know, so the question is, why did she actually say it?Carey Mulligan's performance is pretty good as she portrays Megan's part. The other lady, Zoe Kazan as Jodi, leaves you impressed in some scenes. The crying ones aren't the reason to say this, but the way it has been executed on screen is. Andre Braugher's Dean will remind you of your boss (if you are working in the media field, like me). The supporting cast of Patricia Clarkson, Jennifer Ehle, Samantha Morton, Ashley Judd, Sean Cullen, Tom Pelphrey, Adam Shapiro, and Anastasia Barzee adds more to the acting room as a big happy unit. The characters may look slightly off trajectory sometimes, but it's not their mistake if all they did was just follow the orders.Dear Natasha Braier, Why were some frames looking oversized? A couple of times the subtitles were cropped out of the frame? Was that the original print or was there a projection issue in our theatre during the screening? She Said also suffers due to poor support from all the technical departments, be it cinematography, background score, editing, sound design, or production design. Maria Schrader's choice of story was not great in the first place. I don't know why anyone would be interested in watching Harvey Weinstein's story, which has already been published in the newspapers and has less dramatic values. Even I myself didn't know his name except for Shakespeare in Love (1998), Malèna (2000), and Gangs of New York (2002). Yes, I agree that the sorry needed to be told, but I think feature film is not the right medium for it. A web series narrative or an OTT release with docudrama stuff would have fit better. Maria's biographical drama lacks high-end drama, emotions, brutality, and verbally powerful speeches on social awareness. If you still wanna go over it, just prepare yourself for a slow-paced but steady feminist docudrama.