On 5 October 2017, New York Times reporters Jodi Kantor and Megan Twohey revealed substantial allegations of sexual misconduct by Hollywood producer Harvey Weinstein. Accusing him of three decades of sexually harassing actors, female production assistants, temps and other employees at Miramax and The Weinstein Company. She Said is their story – not Weinstein’s but Kantor & Twohey’s.

I want to say from the top that the film refers to rape and sexual abuse and quotes from survivors in doing so, as does this blog piece, so please look after your own boundaries.

She Said is based on the subsequent book penned by Kantor and Twohey, which tells of the story behind the story – that of the two journalists working to break it.  The allegations that Kantor & Twohey published served as the catalyst for the burgeoning #MeToo movement.

While the film focuses on the survivors who brought Weinstein to account for abusing women since the 90s, men and women have been speaking out against those who have abused their positions of power within the film industry for as long as it has existed, which is as old as film itself:

In 1921, actress Virginia Rappe was raped by silent film star Roscoe "Fatty" Arbuckle and died days later as a result of her injuries. She called him out at the time, saying  “He did this to me”

In 1940, child star Shirley Temple called out the head of MGM who had unzipped his trousers and exposed himself to her during their first meeting. She was 12 years old.

In 1977, model and actor Samantha Geimer accused Roman Polanski of raping her in Jack Nicholson’s house in LA. She was 13 years old. She never worked again.

In 2012, star of The Birds Tippi Hedron sat on stage at BFI Southbank as part of the “Genius of Hitchock” season revealing that the Master of Suspense had repeatedly stalked, harassed and threatened her while working together back in the 1960s.  

I could go on.

The casting couch - a euphemism for the practice of soliciting sexual favors from actors in exchange for employment – has long been called out over the decades. Ginger Rogers, Judy Garland, Liz Taylor, Goldie Hawn, Gina Davies, Susan Sarandon, Corey Felman, Viola Davies and more have all bravely come forward and told their stories over the years. Many to the detriment of their careers.

Meanwhile, outside of the film world, in 2006, American activist and sexual abuse survivor Tarana Burke began using the phrase "Me Too" to raise awareness of the pervasiveness of sexual abuse and assault in society at large, particularly against women and girls in the Bronx, at the time work that was overlooked, but coining the term that was to go on to encapsulate a movement, #MeToo. That it took Kantor & Twohey’s 2017 newspiece begs the question of who had been listening the many actors I’ve listed in the last few minutes and so many more?    

All of these stories and more provide a backdrop to the industry Kantor and Twohey are investigating – what Marilyn Monroe referred to as an "overcrowded brothel" -  and all of these and more brave whistleblowers paved the way for Ashley Judd and Rose McGowan when they gave their testimonies in 2017. And it’s at this point – in 2017 – with the stories of Ashley Judd and Rose McGowan - that the story of She Said begins.    

She Said is a testimony not only to the brave women who held Weinstein to account, but to the two journalists who dared to publish their stories. The film focuses on the journalists, and on journalistic integrity, not just on the diligence involved in the investigation, but in their approach to building trust with the women harmed by Weinstein. In contrast to the ‘overcrowded brothel’ and toxic workplaces they are investigating, the press room offers an antidote in which Jodi Kantor and Megan Twohey are listened to, involved in decision making, respected, and supported.

Jump to 2022, in a market where female-directed titles account for only 19% of UK releases, She Said is very much a female-led film: based on Kantor & Twohey’s book of the same name, written by the British playwright Rebecca Lenkiewicz (Ida Disobedience, Diary of a Call Girl, Colette), lensed by Argentinian cinematographer Natasha Breier and directed by German filmmaker and actor Maria Schneider. You’ll recognise a number of the actors in what is a largely female ensemble cast in Carey Mullighan, Zoe Kazan, Patricia Clarkson, and Jennifer Ehle. Pride and Prejudice, anyone?

To this day, Tarana Burke continues to spearhead #MeToo, now a global movement. And here in the UK, Zelda Perkins, who you’ll get to know in the film, played by Samantha Morton, continues to campaign against the misuse of non-disclosure agreements through her Can’t Buy My Silence campaign. And it’s exciting to think what impact this film could in amplifying both. Thank you for supporting it, and enjoy the film.

Melanie Iredale

Reclaim the Frame

She Said is screening at the Showroom Cinema and you can book tickets online.