Assistant Review: Brutal, honest, and a really good movie

There The #MeToo movement they have begun to invite women to share their stories of sexual harassment and abuse, the number and scope of the news seems less appealing. It was hard to accept that the misconduct and cover-up may have continued for so long. Kit Green's film Assistant he focuses on that thread with a focus on the filmmaker's helper who begins to worry about the toxic behavior around him. In contrast Bombshell, which looked at the sexual harassment allegations against Fox News & # 39; Roger Ailes, Assistant played perfectly straight. With a focus on one-day events and the experience of one of their characters, Green effectively captures the cause of acting in such a brutal environment. No anointing is required.

Jane (Julia Garner) arrives at work before sunset. She lives alone in the office, reports, takes care of trash, and wipes the couch in her boss's office. When the work day begins, he encounters endless cycles of similar low-level tasks, breakdowns, difficulties and problems that two men don't want to face, and a verbal mistreatment comes from his boss, who was always expected to apologize for drawing his ire at first. He tolerates all of this, because that's what the job demands, and he sees job retention as his opportunity to advance in the film industry.

Photo: Bleecker Street

But her determination to keep quiet can be shut down when she is told to move a new assistant to the hotel. Sienna (Kristine Froseth), a young guard from Idaho, happens to catch the employer's eye at a conference, and wants to meet her privately. By the time Jane returns to the office, the manager (who remains anonymous and is not seen throughout the film) has already gone to the hotel. Jane, worried about the turn of events, takes action.

It would have been easy for us Assistant in order to be a movie about the employer, whose name cannot be disclosed that he was seen as a representative Harvey Weinstein. But Weinstein and his enemies are unparalleled in the power structure that helped him, he turned violent behavior into part of everyday life, often overshadowed and ignored. Everyone knows what's going on. The old officer tells Jane not to worry, that the women who treat her will benefit more than she will ever get. Even HR is on it.

The almost clinical way in which events are performed is a bold decision by Green, which forces him to discuss his character Assistant after the writings Ukraine is not a Brothel and It puts JonBenét. The last film was amazing. Green went to Boulder, Colorado, where the child beauty queen, JonBenét Ramsey, lived and interviewed local people under the pretense of throwing a movie about Ramsay's murder. Green presented their own memories and feelings about what happened, creating a story that focuses on extreme depression and real crime and not about crime itself. The document also kept the distance from its subjects, allowing the facts to speak, rather than trying to gather the message out of the discussions. Green releases the same feat Assistant, as Jane's actions are neither supported nor criticized, and the film focuses on broader frameworks in which torture occurs, rather than on specific enemies.

Photo: Bleecker Street

What's strange Assistant that's just how Green subtly does this. No one is sexually abused on camera, and the small tasks Jane accomplishes add to the bigger, more disturbing image. First, when he finds a missing earring in the boss & # 39; s office, or makes phone calls from his wife, he doesn't answer. When he finally tries to voice his concerns, the HR representative (Matthew Macfadyen, who may also be poisoned) assures him, "You're not his type."

Green does not have to color Jane to find out how much they crush the soul, especially since it is clear that there is no good result for her. If he does nothing, the cycle of abuse will continue. When he speaks up, the only works on the line will be his. And no one can turn to him, because everyone around him has already accepted that this is the way it is. Green's way of storytelling – finding great facts rather than focusing on the most exciting things Assistant in a different forum, as it shines not only on the actions of abusers in power, but on the people around them, who can or cannot do anything to change the situation.

Assistant available for rent on Amazon and iTunes now.

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