Jodi Kantor and Megan Twohey brought forth agroundbreaking articlein 2017 that exposed thesexual abuse of Harvey Weinsteinin Hollywood, which has been continued for decades. The work done by these twoNew York Timesinvestigative reporters not only sheds light on sexual harassment in Hollywood and at the workplace, but it also gave rise to the#MeToo movement, which allowed many women across the globe to come forward with the harassment they have endured. This article can be seen as a landmark event in the feminist movement.
Maria Schrader’s 2022 biographical drama film,She Said,is based on the 2019 book by Kantor and Twohey, which is also titledShe Said.This particular filmfollows the two reporters as they try their very best at tracking down the case and exposing Weinstein’s abusive acts. It is definitely one film that isfilled with a load of informationand one that reflects on a crucial event of the 21st Century. The question is, how accurate is this film? Does it over-dramatize the actual events or does it perfectly capture the real occurrences? In a nutshell, the film is very much a reflection of what happened in real life.
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Based on THE Book
Book-to-screen adaptations are quite prominent. However, what is rare is the extent to which the book has been translated into the on-screen film. The same question arises inShe Said. Inan article by Kantor and Twohey, published inVogue,clearly explains how accurate the film is. The two states that the film “depicts so much of what (we) witnessed and experienced”, in turn, keeping on par with the details mentioned in their book. Interestingly, the film was developed alongside the book, with screenwriter Rebecca Lenkiewicz being sent drafts of the chapters. The conversations the filmmakers had with the two journalists further attributed to how accurately the film captures the events. In fact,Lenkiewicz has statedthat she “included some verbatim dialogue” in order to capture the essence of the film, which is based on the truth of these reporters' journey.
Additionally, Kantor and Twohey mention how the film includes “few personal truths” which further affirms its accuracy. The inclusion of the reporters' personal lives, like the way in which Twohey struggles with postpartum depression and Kantor’s attempts at trying to console her by stating how she experienced it as well, are events that the reporters actually went through. Thus, it is hard to pin out what is fictitious in terms of the events that occurred since the involvement of the reporters and the use of their book as the source material has allowed the film to mirror the reality. However,as Ellin Stein points out, what is notable is the events the film decides to leave out like Weinstein using “two covert surveillance companies to keep tabs on not only Kantor and Twohey but also other reporters”. Even though this is hinted out in the film by having a scene of how Kantor is followed by a black vehicle, it is not explored as much.
The People
Carey Mulligan’s portrayal of Twohey andZoe Kazan’s portrayal of Kantorare remarkable. In fact, the two actresses seem to be physically similar to the reporters as well. As pointed out by the film, Twohey is already known for her explorations of sexual harassment at the workplace due to her investigative reporting on allegations against Trump. Moreover, the two reporters also state that Mulligan and Kazan have perfectly captured the emotions and feelings they were going through. Thereby, the performances in this particular film might be less fictitious and more accurate.
In addition to the protagonists, the film also includes the victim-survivors the original article mentions. From Zelda Perkins to Rowena Chiu and Laura Madden, the film illustrates how these former employees of Weinstein’s company, Miramax, were either sexually assaulted or aware of the sexual assaults. It also exposes how they were silenced by Weinstein, in turn, tapping into the idea of how powerful men abuse their power to get away with such crimes. In order to"ensure creative liberties were not takenin the theatrical retelling", Lenkiewicz had consulted and spent time with these people who inspired the characters portrayed in the film. Of course, having Ashley Judd portray her own self further affirms the accuracy of the film’s events. Even if certain Hollywood stars were not physically present in the film like Gwyneth Paltrow, the repetitive mentioning of their names and their experiences allude to real life events. In fact, most of theseactresses came forwardwith their stories that exposed Weinstein’s crimesfollowing the release of Kantor and Twohey’s article.
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The Details of The Article
She Saidmight focus on one New York Times article, but it was one article that shook the world and finally exposed the dark reality of powerful men in Hollywood. Thus, the film makes several references to the actual article itself. While most of these are revealed at the end of the film, when the article was published, it is interesting to see the journey that brought this piece together. In the final scene we see Rebecca Corbett (Patricia Clarkson) highlighting quotes from Weinstein’s statement to include it in the article. These are accurate replicas of the quotes that were mentioned in the article. Moreover, the statements by the victim-survivors and the details of their experiences, as well as the settlements brought forth by Weinstein and his company are all mentioned in the article, as the film suggests.
All these little bits of information that were included in the film can be seen as replicas of reality, in turn, affirming thatShe Saidis very much accurate when compared to the real journey the protagonists went on. It is clear that the filmmakers have prioritized the truth and an actual retelling of the book over their creative liberties.
