Film Reviews:

JUNE 2023:

Directed by Maria Schrader, Screenplay by Rebecca Lenkiewicz, Based on "She Said" by Jodi Kantor, and Megan Twohey, Produced by Dede Gardner, and Jeremy Kleiner, Starring: Carey Mulligan, Zoe Kazan, Patricia Clarkson, Andre Braugher, Jennifer Ehle, Samantha Morton, Ashley Judd, with Cinematography by Natasha Braier, Edited by Hansjörg Weißbrich, with Music by Nicholas Britell, Production companies: Annapurna Pictures, and Plan B Entertainment, and Distributed by Universal Pictures. (2022)
She Said (2022)

She Said Review Your Work…

The investigative report by Jodi Kantor and Megan Twohey, published in The New York Times in October 2017, stands as a watershed moment in the realm of journalism. Their relentless pursuit of truth brought to light the dark history of abuse and sexual misconduct perpetrated by Harvey Weinstein. This review seeks to examine the various aspects of their investigative work, which ultimately transformed not only the entertainment industry but also society at large.

In October 2017, The New York Times and The New Yorker reported that more than a dozen women accused Weinstein of sexually harassing, assaulting, or raping them. Many other women in the film industry subsequently reported similar experiences with Weinstein, who denied "any nonconsensual sex". As a result of these allegations, Weinstein was dismissed from his production company, suspended from the British Academy of Film and Television Arts, and expelled from the Academy of Motion Picture Arts and Sciences. He also resigned from the Directors Guild of America and was denounced by leading figures in politics whom he had supported. The Los Angeles Police Department opened a criminal investigation for alleged rape, and New York and London police began investigating other sexual assault allegations. On October 10, 2017, Weinstein's wife, Georgina Chapman, announced that she was leaving him; their divorce was finalized in July 2021. The sexual abuse allegations precipitated a wave of "national reckoning" against sexual harassment and assault in the United States known as the Weinstein effect. Compounded by other sexual harassment cases earlier in the year, the Weinstein reports and subsequent #MeToo hashtag campaign, which encouraged individuals to share their suppressed stories of sexual misconduct, created a cavalcade of allegations across multiple industries that brought about the swift ouster of many men in positions of power both in the United States and, as it spread, around the world. Photo Credit: Google Images
Jodi Kantor (born April 21, 1975) is an American journalist. She is a New York Times correspondent whose work has covered the workplace, technology, and gender. She has been the paper's Arts & Leisure editor and covered two presidential campaigns, chronicling the transformation of Barack and Michelle Obama into the President and First Lady of the United States. Kantor was a recipient of the Pulitzer Prize in 2018 for her reporting on sexual abuse by Harvey Weinstein. Kantor is the author of the book The Obamas and She Said: Breaking the Sexual Harassment Story that Helped Ignite a Movement about the Harvey Weinstein investigation. She is a contributor to CBS This Morning and has also appeared on Charlie Rose, The Daily Show and The Today Show. Kantor was included in Time magazine's 100 Most Influential People of 2018. Megan Twohey (/ˈtuːi/) is an American journalist with The New York Times. She has written investigative reports for Reuters, the Chicago Tribune, and the Milwaukee Journal Sentinel. Twohey's investigative reports have exposed exploitative doctors, revealed untested rape kits, and uncovered a secret underground network of abandoned unwanted adopted children. Her investigative reports have led to criminal convictions and helped prompt new laws aimed at protecting vulnerable people and children. On October 5, 2017, Twohey and fellow New York Times journalist Jodi Kantor published a report about Harvey Weinstein detailing decades of sexual abuse allegations, and more than 80 women publicly accused Weinstein of sexually abusing or assaulting them. This led to Weinstein's firing and helped to ignite the viral #MeToo movement started by the American activist Tarana Burke. That work was honored in 2018, when The New York Times was awarded the 2018 Pulitzer Prize for Public Service. Kantor and Twohey won the George Polk award and were named to Time magazine's list of 100 most influential people of the year. Twohey and Kantor subsequently authored a book which chronicled their report about Weinstein, titled She Said. The book was published in 2019, and adapted into a film of the same name in 2022. In addition to winning the 2018 Pulitzer Prize for Public Service, Twohey was a finalist for the Pulitzer Prize for Investigative Reporting in 2014. Photo Credit: Google Images
The New York Times Logo
In October 2017, The New York Times and The New Yorker reported that more than a dozen women accused Weinstein of sexually harassing, assaulting, or raping them. Many other women in the film industry subsequently reported similar experiences with Weinstein, who denied "any nonconsensual sex". As a result of these allegations, Weinstein was dismissed from his production company, suspended from the British Academy of Film and Television Arts, and expelled from the Academy of Motion Picture Arts and Sciences. He also resigned from the Directors Guild of America and was denounced by leading figures in politics whom he had supported. The Los Angeles Police Department opened a criminal investigation for alleged rape, and New York and London police began investigating other sexual assault allegations. On October 10, 2017, Weinstein's wife, Georgina Chapman, announced that she was leaving him; their divorce was finalized in July 2021. The sexual abuse allegations precipitated a wave of "national reckoning" against sexual harassment and assault in the United States known as the Weinstein effect. Compounded by other sexual harassment cases earlier in the year, the Weinstein reports and subsequent #MeToo hashtag campaign, which encouraged individuals to share their suppressed stories of sexual misconduct, created a cavalcade of allegations across multiple industries that brought about the swift ouster of many men in positions of power both in the United States and, as it spread, around the world. Photo Credit: Google Images
Protesters gather as Harvey Weinstein arrives at a Manhattan court house on January 06, 2020 in New York City. Weinstein, a movie producer whose alleged sexual misconduct helped spark the #MeToo movement, pleaded not-guilty on five counts of rape and sexual assault against two unnamed women and faces a possible life sentence in prison. Photo Credit: Spencer Platt/Getty Images

**Meticulous Research and Reporting:**

Kantor and Twohey embarked on an investigative journey that was marked by an unwavering commitment to meticulous research and reporting. Their dogged determination to uncover the truth was evident in the extensive interviews they conducted with victims, industry insiders, and legal professionals. They left no stone unturned, ensuring that their report was comprehensive, accurate, and well-substantiated.

Jodi Kantor (born April 21, 1975) is an American journalist. She is a New York Times correspondent whose work has covered the workplace, technology, and gender. She has been the paper's Arts & Leisure editor and covered two presidential campaigns, chronicling the transformation of Barack and Michelle Obama into the President and First Lady of the United States. Kantor was a recipient of the Pulitzer Prize in 2018 for her reporting on sexual abuse by Harvey Weinstein. Kantor is the author of the book The Obamas and She Said: Breaking the Sexual Harassment Story that Helped Ignite a Movement about the Harvey Weinstein investigation. She is a contributor to CBS This Morning and has also appeared on Charlie Rose, The Daily Show and The Today Show. Kantor was included in Time magazine's 100 Most Influential People of 2018. Megan Twohey (/ˈtuːi/) is an American journalist with The New York Times. She has written investigative reports for Reuters, the Chicago Tribune, and the Milwaukee Journal Sentinel. Twohey's investigative reports have exposed exploitative doctors, revealed untested rape kits, and uncovered a secret underground network of abandoned unwanted adopted children. Her investigative reports have led to criminal convictions and helped prompt new laws aimed at protecting vulnerable people and children. On October 5, 2017, Twohey and fellow New York Times journalist Jodi Kantor published a report about Harvey Weinstein detailing decades of sexual abuse allegations, and more than 80 women publicly accused Weinstein of sexually abusing or assaulting them. This led to Weinstein's firing and helped to ignite the viral #MeToo movement started by the American activist Tarana Burke. That work was honored in 2018, when The New York Times was awarded the 2018 Pulitzer Prize for Public Service. Kantor and Twohey won the George Polk award and were named to Time magazine's list of 100 most influential people of the year. Twohey and Kantor subsequently authored a book which chronicled their report about Weinstein, titled She Said. The book was published in 2019, and adapted into a film of the same name in 2022. In addition to winning the 2018 Pulitzer Prize for Public Service, Twohey was a finalist for the Pulitzer Prize for Investigative Reporting in 2014. Photo Credit: Google Images
(L to R) Patricia Clarkson, Carey Mulligan, and Zoe Kazan in a scene from the film, "She Said". Photo Credit: Universal Pictures (2022)
(L to R) Carey Mulligan, Frank Wood, Patricia Clarkson, and Zoe Kazan in a scene from the film, "She Said". Photo Credit: Universal Pictures (2022)
(L to R) Samantha Morton, and Zoe Kazan in a scene from the film, "She Said". Photo Credit: Universal Pictures (2022)
(L to R) Peter Friedman, Patricia Clarkson, Zoe Kazan, and Carey Mulligan in a scene from the film, "She Said". Photo Credit: Universal Pictures (2022)

**Empowering Survivors:**

One of the most profound aspects of their investigation was the manner in which it empowered survivors. Kantor and Twohey created a platform for countless women to share their stories, offering a powerful and much-needed voice to those who had suffered in silence for far too long. Their work had a profound impact on the survivors and served as a catalyst for the #MeToo movement.

The various female victims of Harvey Weinstein, it is not all of them, just a select few of the women he abused sexually and harassed for decades with impunity. Photo Credit: Google Images

**Timing and Impact:**

The timing of their report could not have been more significant. The emergence of the #MeToo movement and the broader societal reckoning regarding sexual harassment and abuse were closely tied to Kantor and Twohey’s revelations. Their investigation was not just a story; it was the catalyst for a global conversation about the abuse of power and the necessity of holding those responsible accountable.

#MeToo is a social movement and awareness campaign against sexual abuse, sexual harassment, and rape culture, in which people publicize their experiences of sexual abuse or sexual harassment. The phrase "Me Too" was initially used in this context on social media in 2006, on Myspace, by sexual assault survivor and activist Tarana Burke. The hashtag #MeToo was used starting in 2017 as a way to draw attention to the magnitude of the problem. "Me Too" empowers sexually assaulted people (especially young and vulnerable women of color) through empathy, solidarity, and strength in numbers, by visibly demonstrating how many have experienced sexual assault and harassment, especially in the workplace. Following the exposure of numerous sexual-abuse allegations against film producer Harvey Weinstein in October 2017, the movement began to spread virally as a hashtag on social media. On October 16, 2017, American actress Alyssa Milano posted on Twitter, "If all the women who have been sexually harassed or assaulted wrote 'Me too' as a status, we might give people a sense of the magnitude of the problem," saying that she got the idea from a friend. A number of high-profile posts and responses from American celebrities Gwyneth Paltrow, Ashley Judd, Jennifer Lawrence, and Uma Thurman, among others, soon followed. Widespread media coverage and discussion of sexual harassment, particularly in Hollywood, led to high-profile terminations from positions held, as well as criticism and backlash. After millions of people started using the phrase and hashtag in this manner in English, the expression began to spread to dozens of other languages. The scope has become somewhat broader with this expansion, however, and Burke has more recently referred to it as an international movement for justice for marginalized people. After the hashtag #MeToo went viral in late 2017, Facebook reported that almost half of its American users were friends with someone who said they had been sexually assaulted or harassed. Photo Credit: Getty Images
The New York Times reporters Jodi Kantor and Megan Twohey cover the Dec. 14 issue of Variety. Photo Credit: The New York Times Company
Time Magazine cover of the #Metoo Movement and the women who broke their silence and launched a movement. Photo composite by Billy & Hells for TIME. Swift photographed Nov. 16 in Los Angeles; Pascual, Iwu, Judd, Fowler and Anonymous photographed Nov. 19 in San Francisco. Photo Credit: TIME Magazine

**Courage and Tenacity:**

Kantor and Twohey’s courage and tenacity are a testament to the highest principles of journalism. In the face of legal threats, professional intimidation, and the sheer magnitude of the task at hand, they pressed forward. Their unwavering resolve to expose the truth is a lesson in the kind of journalism that challenges the status quo.

(L to R) Jodi Kantor and Megan Twohey, and convicted predator and multiple rapist ex producer Harvey Weinstein. Photo Credit: Google Images

**Ethical Reporting:**

Their commitment to ethical reporting is apparent throughout their investigation. They skillfully navigated complex legal and ethical challenges, striking a balance between protecting their sources and revealing the facts. Kantor and Twohey’s work is a shining example of ethical journalism in the face of adversity.

(L to R) Carey Mulligan, and Zoe Kazan in a scene from the film, "She Said". Photo Credit: Universal Pictures (2022)
Jodi Kantor (born April 21, 1975) is an American journalist. She is a New York Times correspondent whose work has covered the workplace, technology, and gender. She has been the paper's Arts & Leisure editor and covered two presidential campaigns, chronicling the transformation of Barack and Michelle Obama into the President and First Lady of the United States. Kantor was a recipient of the Pulitzer Prize in 2018 for her reporting on sexual abuse by Harvey Weinstein. Kantor is the author of the book The Obamas and She Said: Breaking the Sexual Harassment Story that Helped Ignite a Movement about the Harvey Weinstein investigation. She is a contributor to CBS This Morning and has also appeared on Charlie Rose, The Daily Show and The Today Show. Kantor was included in Time magazine's 100 Most Influential People of 2018. Megan Twohey (/ˈtuːi/) is an American journalist with The New York Times. She has written investigative reports for Reuters, the Chicago Tribune, and the Milwaukee Journal Sentinel. Twohey's investigative reports have exposed exploitative doctors, revealed untested rape kits, and uncovered a secret underground network of abandoned unwanted adopted children. Her investigative reports have led to criminal convictions and helped prompt new laws aimed at protecting vulnerable people and children. On October 5, 2017, Twohey and fellow New York Times journalist Jodi Kantor published a report about Harvey Weinstein detailing decades of sexual abuse allegations, and more than 80 women publicly accused Weinstein of sexually abusing or assaulting them. This led to Weinstein's firing and helped to ignite the viral #MeToo movement started by the American activist Tarana Burke. That work was honored in 2018, when The New York Times was awarded the 2018 Pulitzer Prize for Public Service. Kantor and Twohey won the George Polk award and were named to Time magazine's list of 100 most influential people of the year. Twohey and Kantor subsequently authored a book which chronicled their report about Weinstein, titled She Said. The book was published in 2019, and adapted into a film of the same name in 2022. In addition to winning the 2018 Pulitzer Prize for Public Service, Twohey was a finalist for the Pulitzer Prize for Investigative Reporting in 2014. Photo Credit: Google Images

**Transparency and Accountability:**

The New York Times’ commitment to transparency and accountability in their reporting was commendable. They upheld the highest standards of journalism, maintaining the trust of their readers and countering attempts to discredit their work.

The New York Times Newsroom. Photo Credit: Vanity Fair
The moment that Jodi (far right), Megan (second from right) and their editors publish their exclusive report against Weinstein on October 5, 2017. Photo Credit: The New York Times

**Impact on the Entertainment Industry:**

Kantor and Twohey’s report had a profound impact on the entertainment industry. It led to Weinstein’s downfall and triggered significant changes in the industry’s culture and power dynamics. Their investigation played a crucial role in reshaping the way the entertainment world deals with issues of abuse, harassment, and gender equity.

Jodi Kantor (born April 21, 1975) is an American journalist. She is a New York Times correspondent whose work has covered the workplace, technology, and gender. She has been the paper's Arts & Leisure editor and covered two presidential campaigns, chronicling the transformation of Barack and Michelle Obama into the President and First Lady of the United States. Kantor was a recipient of the Pulitzer Prize in 2018 for her reporting on sexual abuse by Harvey Weinstein. Kantor is the author of the book The Obamas and She Said: Breaking the Sexual Harassment Story that Helped Ignite a Movement about the Harvey Weinstein investigation. She is a contributor to CBS This Morning and has also appeared on Charlie Rose, The Daily Show and The Today Show. Kantor was included in Time magazine's 100 Most Influential People of 2018. Megan Twohey (/ˈtuːi/) is an American journalist with The New York Times. She has written investigative reports for Reuters, the Chicago Tribune, and the Milwaukee Journal Sentinel. Twohey's investigative reports have exposed exploitative doctors, revealed untested rape kits, and uncovered a secret underground network of abandoned unwanted adopted children. Her investigative reports have led to criminal convictions and helped prompt new laws aimed at protecting vulnerable people and children. On October 5, 2017, Twohey and fellow New York Times journalist Jodi Kantor published a report about Harvey Weinstein detailing decades of sexual abuse allegations, and more than 80 women publicly accused Weinstein of sexually abusing or assaulting them. This led to Weinstein's firing and helped to ignite the viral #MeToo movement started by the American activist Tarana Burke. That work was honored in 2018, when The New York Times was awarded the 2018 Pulitzer Prize for Public Service. Kantor and Twohey won the George Polk award and were named to Time magazine's list of 100 most influential people of the year. Twohey and Kantor subsequently authored a book which chronicled their report about Weinstein, titled She Said. The book was published in 2019, and adapted into a film of the same name in 2022. In addition to winning the 2018 Pulitzer Prize for Public Service, Twohey was a finalist for the Pulitzer Prize for Investigative Reporting in 2014. Photo Credit: Google Images
Harvey Weinstein exits a courthouse after turning himself in on rape charges in New York, New York. Photo Credit: Google Images
Close up of woman struggling from mental breakdown related to abuse and sexual misconduct. Photo Credit: Getty Images

**Awards and Accolades:**

– The Pulitzer Prize for Public Service in 2018, which recognized the investigation’s far-reaching impact on society and the empowerment of survivors.

The Pulitzer Prize for Public Service is one of the fourteen American Pulitzer Prizes annually awarded for journalism. It recognizes a distinguished example of meritorious public service by a newspaper or news site through the use of its journalistic resources, which may include editorials, cartoons, photographs, graphics, video and other online material, and may be presented in print or online or both. The Public Service prize was one of the original Pulitzers, established in 1917, but no award was given that year.[1] It is the only prize in the program that awards a gold medal and is the most prestigious one for a newspaper to win.[2] As with other Pulitzer Prizes, a committee of jurors narrows the field to three nominees, from which the Pulitzer Board generally picks a winner and finalists. Finalists have been made public since 1980. The Pulitzer Board issues an official citation explaining the reason for the award. Photo Credit: Wikipedia Commons
Staff members from The New York Times and The New Yorker (from left: Megan Twohey, Jodi Kantor, Ronan Farrow, 1994 General Nonfiction winner David Remnick, Deidre Foley-Mendelssohn, Michael Schmidt, Emily Steel and 1996 International Reporting winner David Rohde) accept the 2018 Pulitzer Prize for Public Service from Columbia University President Lee Bollinger (far left). Photo Credit: Eileen Barroso/Columbia University

– Numerous journalism awards and honors, including the George Polk Award for Metropolitan Reporting and the Gerald Loeb Award for Investigative Business Journalism.

The George Polk Awards in Journalism are a series of American journalism awards presented annually by Long Island University in New York in the United States. A writer for Idea Lab, a group blog hosted on the website of PBS, described the award as "one of only a couple of journalism prizes that means anything". Photo Credit: Google Images
LIU presents the internationally acclaimed George Polk Awards, one of the most coveted journalistic honors, which has recognized world-renowned journalists since 1949. Photo Credit: PRNewsFoto/Long Island University
The Gerald Loeb Awards open the 2018 Call for Entries in 12 competition categories for all journalists and media outlets. Enter online from January 11 to February 15. http://bit.ly/loeb2018 Photo Credit: PRNewsfoto/UCLA Anderson School of Mgmt
The Gerald Loeb Awards, also referred to as the Gerald Loeb Awards for Distinguished Business and Financial Journalism, is a recognition of excellence in journalism, especially in the fields of business, finance and the economy. The award was established in 1957 by Gerald Loeb, a founding partner of E.F. Hutton & Co. Loeb's intention in creating the award was to encourage reporters to inform and protect private investors as well as the general public in the areas of business, finance and the economy. Photo Credit: Google Images
Tablet computer with news articles Photo Credit: Getty Images

In summary, Jodi Kantor and Megan Twohey’s investigative report stands as a pinnacle of modern journalism. It combined meticulous research, courage, and ethical reporting to expose the dark history of abuse in the entertainment industry. The impact of their work is immeasurable, and their dedication to empowering survivors and seeking justice is an example to all journalists.

New York Times reporters Megan Twohey and Jodi Kantor leave the courtroom before Harvey Weinstein exits a courthouse after turning himself in on rape charges in New York, New York. Photo Credit: Sam Hodgson for The New York Times

You can read the full New York Times Investigation by clicking below:

In October 2017, The New York Times and The New Yorker reported that more than a dozen women accused Weinstein of sexually harassing, assaulting, or raping them. Many other women in the film industry subsequently reported similar experiences with Weinstein, who denied "any nonconsensual sex". As a result of these allegations, Weinstein was dismissed from his production company, suspended from the British Academy of Film and Television Arts, and expelled from the Academy of Motion Picture Arts and Sciences. He also resigned from the Directors Guild of America and was denounced by leading figures in politics whom he had supported. The Los Angeles Police Department opened a criminal investigation for alleged rape, and New York and London police began investigating other sexual assault allegations. On October 10, 2017, Weinstein's wife, Georgina Chapman, announced that she was leaving him; their divorce was finalized in July 2021. The sexual abuse allegations precipitated a wave of "national reckoning" against sexual harassment and assault in the United States known as the Weinstein effect. Compounded by other sexual harassment cases earlier in the year, the Weinstein reports and subsequent #MeToo hashtag campaign, which encouraged individuals to share their suppressed stories of sexual misconduct, created a cavalcade of allegations across multiple industries that brought about the swift ouster of many men in positions of power both in the United States and, as it spread, around the world. Photo Credit: Google Images
Directed by Maria Schrader, Screenplay by Rebecca Lenkiewicz, Based on "She Said" by Jodi Kantor, and Megan Twohey, Produced by Dede Gardner, and Jeremy Kleiner, Starring: Carey Mulligan, Zoe Kazan, Patricia Clarkson, Andre Braugher, Jennifer Ehle, Samantha Morton, Ashley Judd, with Cinematography by Natasha Braier, Edited by Hansjörg Weißbrich, with Music by Nicholas Britell, Production companies: Annapurna Pictures, and Plan B Entertainment, and Distributed by Universal Pictures. (2022)

She Said is available now on Prime Video…

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