She Said (15)
Directed by Maria Schrader
 

THIS powerful and moving drama recounts the extraordinary and unrelenting work by New York Times journalists Jodie Kantor (Zoe Kazan) and Megan Twohey (Carey Mulligan) to lift the lid on Hollywood film mogul Harvey Weinstein’s abuse of women, which ignited the Me Too movement.

Based on the New York Times investigation by the two reporters, and Rebecca Corbett (Patricia Clarkson) and Kantor and Twohey's best-selling book “She Said,” this gripping film puts the viewer inside the investigation, giving them a taste of what it must have felt like: the emotional roller-coaster of the setbacks and the wins as the two journalists faced constant threats and intimidation and many brick walls.

“The only way these women are going to go on the record is if they jump together,” Twohey and Kantor tell each other as they try to convince victim after victim to go public. Adapted for the screen by Rebecca Lenkiewicz (Colette) and directed by Maria Schrader (I’m Your Man), this is a meticulously tense and nail-biting thriller reminiscent of Spotlight and All the President’s Men.

It is anchored by Kazan and Mulligan’s stunning performances as these Pulitzer-winning journalists, alongside a sublime supporting cast which includes Clarkson as the newspaper’s assistant managing editor and Jennifer Ehle, Samantha Morton and Ashley Judd, playing herself in a brave and gutsy move.

The drama paints a painstaking picture of what it took to bring this story to light — the all consuming work, the detailed research, the level of dedication and the perseverance. It also shows the impact it had on Kantor and Twohey’s personal lives.

In the case of first-time mum Twohey, she returned to work on this assignment suffering with post-natal depression. However, it does not portray any sexual assaults and keeps Weinstein’s on-screen presence to a minimum.

The film is a testament to the two journalists’ tenacity and to the survivors' courage to speak out and seek justice. It is also a reminder of the importance of investigative journalism, which is a dying art, and how the power of individuals teaming up can change the world — and continues to do so in the wake of the Me Too movement.

In cinemas