She Said - a film review

She Said is a 2022 biodrama, which tells the story of the New York Times reporters Jodi Kantor and Megan Twohey who exposed the Harvey Weinstein’s sexual abuse and harassment of women.

The film is based on the book of the same name, which was authored by Kantor and Twohey (2019). The story begins in 2017 when Kantor got a tip that actor Rose McGowan had been sexually assaulted. She was age 23 at the time. As the investigation progresses, we learn of other women who may have been abused. Some are too afraid to go on record. And some are bound to silence based on settlement agreements.

Eventually, the reporters collect enough evidence to publish a story, which appeared in the NY Times 5 October 2017.

I recommend She Said as an informative look into the struggles women experience with sexual harassment and sexual abuse in the workplace. Although the focus is on women in the film industry, the story aptly illustrates the power differential that exists in other industries and organizations.

The actors offer insightful glimpses into the power of fear to silence abuse victims, the difficulties in documenting sexual harassment and behavior when only two people are present, and the long-term destructive effects of sexual trauma. There is some focus on justice, which is appropriate given the wide coverage of the events in the media. I was surprised by the low incidence of anger and revenge motivations because I would have expected more. The lack of sensationalism is a plus.

Lead actors: Carey Mulligan as Megan Twohey, Zoe Kazan as Jodi Kantor.

Director: Maria Schrader

Producer: Annapurna Pictures Plan B Entertainment

Distributer: Universal Pictures

US Release: 18 November 2022

The film, She Said, is available in Blu-Ray and DVD versions.

I watched She Said streamed on Amazon Prime.

Geoffrey W. Sutton, PhD is Emeritus Professor of Psychology. He retired from a clinical practice and was credentialed in clinical neuropsychology and psychopharmacology. His website is www.suttong.com

See Geoffrey Sutton’s books on AMAZON or GOOGLE STORE

Follow on FACEBOOK Geoff W. Sutton

TWITTER @Geoff.W.Sutton

You can read many published articles at no charge:

Academia Geoff W Sutton ResearchGate Geoffrey W Sutton

Comments

JESUS AND JOHN WAYNE - A book review

JESUS AND JOHN WAYNE How White Evangelicals Corrupted a Faith and Fractured a Nation By Kristin Kobes Du Mez Reviewed by Geoffrey W. Sutton Kristin Kobes Du Mez begins and ends her assault on militaristic white American evangelical men with their contemporary sociopolitical leader, former president, Donald Trump. In the Introduction we learn the short doctrinal list of what it means to be a Bible-believing evangelical, but the author posits that American evangelicals are more than a set of theological statements. Instead, since the early 1900s they have embraced a John Wayne view of what it means to be a Christian man—a powerful warrior for country and God—a man who leads his troops into battle to uphold the values of God’s chosen people, the Americans. It was the title, Jesus and John Wayne , that was off-putting. I didn’t grow up with John Wayne films or a love of American westerns. I was after...

Denial of Death and the Meaningful Life- Book Review

The Denial of Death by Ernest Becker A Review by Geoffrey W. Sutton The prospect of death, Dr. Johnson said, wonderfully concentrates the mind. The main thesis of this book is that it does much more than that: the idea of death, the fear of it, haunts the human animal like nothing else; it is a mainspring of human activity—activity designed largely to avoid the fatality of death, to overcome it by denying in some way that it is the final destiny for man. — Ernest Becker, xvii I completed a recent reading of this old classic yesterday (13 December, 2015) because I was interested in Becker’s contribution to Terror Management Theory, which I find so helpful in understanding the ways U.S. leaders are publicly responding to terrorist activities. Becker’s ideas are more than forty years old and many have not withstood the test of time. However, his basic premise that we deny the reality of death in many ways...

Progressive Christianity - Book List Reviews or Summaries

The Way Understanding Progressive Christianity Book Reviews One way to understand a movement is to read what the leaders have written. The progressive Christian movement, like any Christian movement, can be difficult to describe in detail because there is no one authoritative body or voice. Instead, there are many voices. I hesitate to offer too many descriptive statements because there are surely some who will disagree. Nevertheless, I will list a few trends then list some of the books by writers with progressive perspectives. See the book reviews by clicking the highlighted titles below. Progressive Christians emphasize: A focus on the life and teachings of Jesus when interpreting scripture and thinking morally about current social issues. An appreciation of what it means to truly love God and one’s neighbour as oneself when it comes to compassionate behaviour and promoting justice for all. A commitment to following Jesus' example of meeting the immediate needs of peo...

Interdisciplinary Book and Film Reviews

Search This Blog