💬 Review The Assistant (2019)

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GinkgoBell

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Name of the movie you are reviewing: The Assistant (2019)



The story revolves around Jane, a recent college graduate and aspiring film producer. She just landed her dream job as a junior assistant to a powerful entertainment mogul. Later she grows increasingly aware of the abuse that insidiously colours every aspect of her workday.

Review:
In 2017, the actress Alyssa Milano posted a tweet saying "If you have been sexually harassed or assaulted, please write 'me too' as a reply to this tweet." Thousands of people responded in the comment area that night and became the starting point of the "me too" movement.
And she is the one to denounced Harvey Weinstein, one of the founders of Miramax.

In October of the same year, the "New York Times" and "The New Yorker" published multiple reports stating that Harvey Weinstein, a prominent figure in the Hollywood filming industry, committed sexual abuse and assault to multiple women within decades. Since then, many people have come forward to accuse Weinstein, which caused a huge shock.

And "The Assistant" was shot based on the Weinstein case.

The angle of the film is very special. It is not developed from the perspective of the victim, but takes the audience into the day of Weinstein's assistant Jane, calmly narrating the facts.

The female protagonist's expression always shows a hint of fatigue, except for the tears in her eyes when she emails her boss to apologize and the joy when she talks about future plans, she rarely expresses her emotions. In fact, the whole movie reveals a kind of unspeakable indifference and powerlessness, dark grey tones, dark enclosed spaces, noisy background sounds, numb expressions, insignificant individuals, like the carpet that has been mouldy for a long time in an old office building. The atmosphere of the office is just as depressing, the only colourful thing in sight is the breakfast cereal.

The perpetrator of the sexual assault did not show up in the entire movie, we can only feel his presence through the arrogant voice on the phone. Where I feel it kinda implies a contemptuous message of 'you are not worthy enough to see me' from Weinstein.

The whole environment’s disregard for sexual assault is more terrifying than sexual assault itself. The fear of high-ranking people and the consideration of the future keeps everyone’s mouth shut tight. In the end, this habit of spread across every corner of the office and no one dares speak up. Not even in the form of gossip.

But no matter what attitude or values you hold, it is difficult to change the general public, and it is impossible to escape from it. Either you are used to it, or eventually you're dead inside.

The "me too" movement started with victims of sexual assault, and its essence is the resistance of vulnerable groups to those in power. Sexual assault aside, there are still many things that are hidden away from sight by those in power. They know that you can't afford to lose, so they brazenly threaten you, endless demanding, until you become numb and just like them.

Not only should say no to sexual assault but also say no to people who use their power to do whatever the hell they want and speak up for yourself when necessary.
They are the vampires, and our voice could be the sunlight.

The movie is depressing, but reality can be beautiful; demons do exist, but the light will eventually illuminate the world.

Would you recommend this to other users? Yes.

Rating(1-5): ⭐⭐⭐
 
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