It will be screened initially at the Telluride Film Festival in September and will be screened in North America in January. This film is basically the same as "Bombshell". It is a movie born after the Mi Rabbit movement. It aims to tell the entertainment industry scenes that have never been exposed before but should have been exposed long ago. But its style and angle are very different from "Bombshell". Low-key, small pattern, no big celebrities, and no mention of the names of the main characters. The protagonist is not a direct victim. Instead, he observes the whole incident and this toxic environment from the perspective of a bystander, but it effectively demonstrates This explains why this type of office sexual assault or rights squeeze has been popular for many years but it is unknown.
When we saw reports about Weinstein in 2017, the victim's description often mentioned being taken to the hotel by his assistant, or sometimes an assistant arranged an appointment, and even an assistant was present. When reading Ronan Farrow's book "Catch and Kill" about Weinstein, I also read his assistant many times. In "Bombshell", you will also see that Roger Ailes, the boss of Flowserve, also has an assistant who helps him take the girl to the office and closes the door. . . Would you be wondering, these assistants should all know the boss's activities, but why did they not tell them? Why did they choose to cooperate instead of resigning? Whether they themselves are also being. . . ?
This "Assistant", which will be screened on January 31st, brings the people around Weinstein on the screen for the first time from this perspective. Who are the people who work outside his office, what they do every day, and Whatever you think of his behavior, they are all presented in this film.
However, Weinstein did not appear in the film, nor did it mention that every assistant answered the phone and said that this is.. Before they could tell whose office it was, they were interrupted by the other party. But it didn't take long for the film to start, and the audience could see who the head of this office was. Not only because of the movie-related content disclosed in the assistant dialogues, but also his actions were disclosed in the news. Even the hotel The Peninsula Beverly Hills, which was arranged for female stars in Los Angeles, was mentioned in the film. He often The Cannes Film Festival, which seduce female stars to the hotel, is also reflected in the film. In one scene, even when he met a female celebrity, he accosted: "Have you ever been to France?" Of course, we only heard the sound every time, but the door closed. . .
The core of the film is a new female assistant. She graduated from college and has strong ambitions. She hopes to become a producer. Her parents are also proud of her job. The film unhurriedly presents the female assistant's day's work, from leaving home in the early morning to returning home at night. Although trivial, it truly reflects the hard work of the assistants at the bottom level and the unspoken rules of the overall environment. However, she wakes up and greets the dark every day, and even does cleaning work. No one in the office respects or appreciates her contribution, and almost no one is looking at her. The film also shows for the first time the hard work of a junior assistant in a Hollywood company.
This is actually not news. Many years ago, there were related books about the Hollywood Assistant Survival Guide! Most of the assistants, both men and women, are very low-minded at the beginning. Most of the work they do has nothing to do with the production, including photocopying, answering the phone, serving tea and water, buying lunch for the boss, booking air tickets, reimbursement, and getting dry-cleaned clothes. . . I also did these during my internship. However, since many major directors and major producers also started in this way, many young people are working hard.
The female assistant in the film did not complain about doing this, but she slowly discovered that there were constantly beautiful young girls coming in and out of the office or being arranged to go to the hotel, and she had to help deal with the questions from the boss's wife. Even the whole company knew the boss's behavior, not only didn't complain, but teased the girls along with them. They were accustomed to this, and many even helped him arrange girls and take care of everything.
Because the girl is also a new assistant, just like the audience, she is unfamiliar and curious about everything. She gradually opened Pandora's box with the audience, and the mist inside her suffocated her many times. But if you go to HR, you will be threatened and your bright future may be ruined. Before leaving, HR will say: "Don't worry, you are not his food." As a comfort.
The most interesting thing is that every time Weinstein criticizes her, she needs to write a written apology. And Weinstein would also praise her as a smart person. It seems that when the horny boss is sensible, although there are many beautiful women, it is always necessary to find one who can really do the job, and he has to be aware of the general situation. And this girl who has an excellent academic background and is eager to succeed, came to New York from a small city, just meets the requirements.
This film was written after the Mi Rabbit movement, the director interviewed a number of Weinstein assistants. I personally feel that most of the content is authentic and credible, which greatly satisfies the audience's curiosity about Weinstein. After all, starting directly from the victim's point of view is often considered biased, and it is better to start from the point of view of his closest neighbors, which is more objective. Although the female assistant sees everything in her eyes, she can only be silent. For a lot of time in the film, there is no dialogue. Only the sound of the copier and the ringing of the telephone are the reasons why we waited so long to hear the truth. : Countless people who pursue careers in this way, as individuals, have given up their principles because of their ideals and have to bow to power. . . Until one after another came forward.
The film successfully rendered a horrible atmosphere. The color of the whole film was dark and lifeless, and the dialogue outside the silence was mostly insults and demeaning to people. It succeeded in creating a toxic environment, and there seemed to be no good people. In the film, Weinstein can often be heard yelling at his subordinates and using nasty words to demean his subordinates. This kind of verbal violence is also one of his signature features. Although there is no violent content, the female assistant is obviously frightened by the surrounding environment. She often sees her swallowing saliva and dare not look at the people around her.
After watching this film, everyone will feel that the female assistant played by An Hathaway in "The Devil Wearing Prada" is simply too happy.
However, the presentation of the film may occasionally be boring in the eyes of the public and lack commercial appeal. After all, watching her cleaning the room, washing the dishes and copying for a long time will indeed feel that there is no such fast-paced and dramatic narrative as "Bombshell". That's why it withdrew from the awards season and was released in January. But everything described in the film is really not to be missed. In other words, even if you find a big star, shooting like "Bombshell" may still be controversial. This kind of sexual assault film is actually very difficult, but it is very important. The main reason is that things happened not long ago, but I believe that there will be more and more similar movies in the future, and I hope that the angles will be different, so that we can have a sharper and sharper perspective.
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