Nearly half a decade after the story broke, we’re getting an inside, big-screen look at the reporting behind the New York Times’ bombshell piece exposing Harvey Weinstein as a sexual predator. The story made waves in the film industry, exposing a flurry of folks who had abused their power with sexual misconduct, sending #MeToo to the very top of the trending page in 2017.
The first trailer for She Said gives insight to the reporting done behind the scenes by journalists Jodi Kantor and Megan Twohey, played respectively by Zoe Kazan and Carey Mulligan. And while the first trailer does have Spotlight-levels of thrill, folks on social media have pointed out a big plot hole: Brad Pitt, who executive produced the film, has been accused of domestic violence against Angelina Jolie.
What’s the value of pointing out some of Hollywood’s biggest misdemeanors when an alleged abuser is profiting from the film? Haven’t we learned from our mistakes?
Pushing the envelope even further, Pitt reportedly knew about Weinstein’s behavior—the actor confronted the producer back in 1996 trying to protect Gwyneth Paltrow, his girlfriend at the time—but still worked with Weinstein after the fact. Weinstein and Pitt were collaborators on Inglourious Basterds and Killing Them Softly, which came out just five years before the NYT piece dropped.
Nevertheless, Kazan and Mulligan team up in the first look for the film as two journalists looking to give their all to the story. Women aren’t willing to talk, fearful that the story could ruin their reputations, careers, and lives. But as more and more women come forward, the wave of allegations is enough to cause a hurricane.
“The only way these women are gonna go on the record—” Megan says in the trailer.
Jodi finishes her sentence: “Is if they all jump together.”
The pair set off on finding enough women to come together to out Weinstein as a man who abused his power, using actresses and other women for sex in a twisted industry trade deal. Soon, though, they find out that much more is at stake. This abuse of power is industry-wide. And a lot of folks just can’t muster up the courage to believe the women who are trying to out these men as abusers.
Back in October 2017, the NYT released the world-altering, devastating article following Weinstein’s long pattern of paying off sexual harassment abusers. Just a year later, the reporting team went on to earn a Pulitzer for their work on the case.
She Said will premiere in theaters on November 18.
