Our increasingly graphic culture has often made us expect, and sometimes uncomfortably desire, more explicit content in films, even those dealing with sexual harassment in the #MeToo era. Writer-director Kitty Green’s quiet, new drama, “The Assistant,” refuses to succumb to that proclivity.
But while the filmmaker rightly understands that shock value isn’t the only way to tell a visceral story, its central performance by Julia Garner is what makes the film most interesting to watch.
Clenching a wonderful actress is always a major coup for any director, especially for a debut dramatic feature. It perhaps says that the material was strong enough to attract a high-caliber star, and that there was a certain level of comfort and trust between Green and Garner. That’s definitely necessary for a film that explores the very sensitive matter of what it’s like to be a low-ranking female professional in an office dominated by powerful,...
But while the filmmaker rightly understands that shock value isn’t the only way to tell a visceral story, its central performance by Julia Garner is what makes the film most interesting to watch.
Clenching a wonderful actress is always a major coup for any director, especially for a debut dramatic feature. It perhaps says that the material was strong enough to attract a high-caliber star, and that there was a certain level of comfort and trust between Green and Garner. That’s definitely necessary for a film that explores the very sensitive matter of what it’s like to be a low-ranking female professional in an office dominated by powerful,...
- 1/24/2020
- by Candice Frederick
- The Wrap
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