REVIEW: ‘The Assistant,’ a drama for the #MeToo movement
Photo: Julia Garner stars as Jane in The Assistant, written and directed by Kitty Green. Photo courtesy of Ty Johnson / Bleecker Street / Provided by press rep with permission.
The Assistant, the subtle and subtly devastating drama from writer-director Kitty Green, is an exploration of one female worker’s tenure at a film production office. Jane (Julia Garner from Ozark) is a recent college graduate and has only been on the job for a few weeks, but she knows her way around the office, arriving early and working late, ensuring everything is in order. She’s a hard-working assistant, someone who yearns to be a producer of movies one day.
The problem is that she works in a toxic environment, and she suspects that there is abuse going on behind closed doors. When she decides to make a stand and file a Human Resources complaint, she is met with resistance, isolation and threats.
In other words, The Assistant is a reckoning and a powerful consideration of how the world operated (and still operates) in a male-dominated society where abuse was rampant and women faced a series of criminal behaviors and discriminatory practices. This movie, running less than 90 minutes, clearly and succinctly portrays the heart of the problem — showcasing an environment that allowed predators like Harvey Weinstein to reign, in many ways unchecked, for years.
Anchoring the film is Garner’s understated, but extremely effective performance as the junior assistant. She is driven and dedicated, but her efforts don’t pay off. That’s because there is a ceiling above her head — most likely because she’s a young woman, and throughout the course of this single day, she starts to realize the predicament she and others in the office may be in. The saddening truth is that she plays by the rules and tries to stop the abusive action of her boss, but that HR administrator (fielding the complaint like a scrutinizing prosecutor) disregards what she has to say and what she is facing on a daily basis.
There will likely be many #MeToo-influenced stories coming to cinemas in the next few years, and Hollywood, an industry that has had to look in the mirror, should welcome each and every project with open arms. These movies can be dramatically interesting and informative, but also educational and revelatory. The abuse went on for far too long, and movies like The Assistant ensures that the audience doesn’t forget how the system failed so many women for such a long time.
By John Soltes / Publisher / John@HollywoodSoapbox.com
The Assistant (2019). Written and directed by Kitty Green. Starring Julia Garner. Rated R for some language. Running time: 87 minutes. Rating: 
