Carey Mulligan and Zoe Kazan in She Said

SHE SAID
Directed by Maria Schrader
Certificate: 12a
☆☆☆☆

THE sexist culture deeply ingrained in the Hollywood film industry allowed the sex offender Harvey Weinstein to not only escape justice for so long, but to be seen as one of the world’s most successful film moguls.

As we now know, he is a rapist and abuser – and his unmasking and justice being finally sought for those that he hurt helped kickstart a global movement that brought in to light the daily abuse so many women face.

Weinstein was unmasked by the brilliant reporting of two New York Times journalists Jodi Cantor (Carey Mulligan) and Megan Twohey (Zoe Kazan), who would not let him get away with it, and managed to gather the evidence that see him end up in prison.

Maria Schrader’s re-telling is a classic piece of newsroom film: we follow the pair as they chase down leads, find sources, and put together a publishable case

It’s not just the two leads who are compelling, but the able support cast, with star turns by Samantha Morton as Zelda Perkins, who worked for Weinstein and whom he regularly harassed and attempted to sexually abuse.

This is recent history, and Schrader has plenty of material. A genuine recording of Weinstein is used, and there is one scene where the rapist is portrayed by an actor, coming to visit the newspaper. We only see the back of him, but the casting director has got it just right – a shiver will ripple through you when he makes his appearance, with his behaviour now public knowledge.

The crimes of Weinstein and their exposure was a key moment. It helped start the MeToo movement and has brought sexual harassment to the fore, making what in previous decades was a great unsaid crime into the open.

Schrader creates a solid narrative explaining how the tragedy of Trump’s election victory – despite the evidence of his vile behaviour towards women – prompted the reporters to ask themselves how it could be possible.

The newspaper then began to investigate sexual harassment in the workplace in general – and the pair followed up rumours of a great crime that was part of Hollywood culture.

After the investigation was printed, a further 82 women came forward to tell their stories of his behaviour.

This film powerfully tells how these two brave women decided enough was enough.