Some of the greatest monster movies postulate that human beings are the real monsters, and for good reason. We never get to see the monster’s face in Kitty Green‘s The Assistant, but he’s all too real and all too familiar. We never even hear his name, but there’s no denying that the monster in question seems an awful lot like Harvey Weinstein. Part of the film’s brilliance lies in the decision to keep this character nameless. People will understandably draw comparisons to Weinstein, but this type of predatory behavior is unfortunately so common that this man could be anyone.
“Bad Men Have Had Enough Screen Time”
The Assistant walks us through a day in the life of Jane (Julia Garner), a young woman who recently started working at a film production company. She’s often the first one in and the last one out. Anyone who’s ever worked as an intern or an assistant will immediately recognize her routine. She makes coffee, answers phones, orders lunch, schedules meetings, etc. But as an assistant for the ominous, unnamed studio executive, her responsibilities also include being complicit.
When it comes to recent #MeToo movies, The Assistant is the antithesis of 2019’s Bombshell. The Assistant is subtle and restrained to a fault, which will bore some viewers. However, Bombshell‘s biggest flaw was devoting too much time to the predator’s perspective. In The Assistant, the spotlight shines away from the predator.
What makes The Assistant special is that it offers us a unique perspective. In an interview with NPR, Green even declared, “Bad men have had enough screen time…I was much more interested in the machinery and the system around these predators. Like, how is this behavior allowed to kind of continue and spread?” Jane is not a victim of her boss’ sexual abuse, she’s a bystander. But she’s still a victim nonetheless. The film explores how one person’s abuse of power trickles down and indirectly affects everyone around them.
Understated and Unsettling
The Assistant feels very mechanical and monotonous as it follows Jane through her daily routine. It’s evident that the film draws inspiration from Chantal Akerman’s Jeanne Dielman, 23, Quai du Commerce, 1080 Bruxelles despite boasting such a lean runtime of under 90 minutes. Much like Akerman’s film, a plausible criticism of The Assistant is that “nothing happens.” But with both films, the genius lies in the understated details.
It’s a quiet, powerful film that captures the subtleties of workplace misogyny. There are two male assistants whom Jane works with, and yet Jane is the one expected to clean, look after the kids, and answer the wife’s phone calls. She frequently has to type up apology emails, expressing gratitude for her job and swearing to her boss that she won’t let him down again.
Green’s film is expertly crafted and nuanced. Michael Latham’s cinematography is sleek and unobtrusive. The camera is generally static, give or take a few pan shots. There is barely any music in the film, which helps rack up the tension and establish an unsettling tone. The Assistant almost has a cinéma vérité vibe to it, allowing Green to blur the line between fiction and reality.
Much of the film hinges on Julia Garner’s performance. Jane rarely gets a chance to talk to anyone about what’s going through her mind, so her facial expressions mainly do the talking. Someone in Jane’s position must appear calm and stoic even as her worries escalate, and Garner manages to convey that with a single stare.
The Assistant: Final Thoughts
The Assistant is a gripping film masterfully directed by Kitty Green and featuring one of Julia Garner’s best performances to date. It’s thought-provoking and doesn’t manipulate its audience, enabling us to form our own opinions about Jane’s situation. However, the film is a slow burn that can often feel mundane, which might leave viewers underwhelmed or unsatisfied.
Regardless, it’s a timely film that explores a side of the entertainment industry rarely seen on the big screen. It shifts the perspective away from the predator and the prey, exposing the system that allows this abuse to persevere. We all want to believe that we’d speak up if we witnessed such abuse, but the film reminds us of all the obstacles that coerce people into silence. The Assistant forces us to ask ourselves, “would you really say something?”
Have you seen The Assistant? Share your thoughts in the comments section.
The Assistant received a limited release in the US on January 31, 2020.
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