Directed by: Kitty Green

Rated: R

Runtime: 1:27

Review by: Livi Edmonson

 

Taking place over the course of one work-day, the independent drama “The Assistant” follows protagonist Jane (played by Julia Garner), as she pays her dues as a junior assistant to a powerful entertainment mogul/producer. Her job consists of making coffee, ordering lunch, and arranging flight accommodations while the local boys club that takes the form of her “co-workers,” never miss a chance to make her feel inferior. Even worse, as Jane follows her daily assistant duties and routines, she becomes more and more aware of the sexual misconduct and abuse happening right in front of her between her boss and various clients. 

“The Assistant” is darkly intense to say the very least, not necessarily because of its content, but more so because of the contemporary, realistic themes that take place. The film is also a super low-budget art-house/indie film with musical scores only at the beginning and end. However, just because the film is low budget by no means makes it a bad film, per say. In fact, it is absolutely riveting and complicated in its simplicity. 

Garner, best known for her role in the critically-acclaimed, Emmy award-winning television show, “Ozark” (2017- present), handles her penetrating leading role instinctively with such grace and ease that you will forget you are watching a movie, not a flustered assistant giving her blood, sweat, and tears to superiors who take advantage of her. Although there are a few supporting performances to be noted, Garner carries the film from the beginning to end because it is her story to tell. The performance, especially at the film’s beginning rarely consists of dialogue. Instead, the film’s focus is on the protagonist’s physical emotions accompanied by the background noise of copy machines, phones ringing, typing, and so on and so forth. 

Someone who also deserves an honorable mention for this provocative piece of cinema is director and screenwriter, Kitty Green. This film would have not been as successful as a #MeToo era narrative had it not been written and directed by a female in the industry. Green does not shy away from the issues at hand following the rise and fall of producer Harvey Weinstein in the little nugget of truth that takes its place as this powerful film.

“The Assistant” succeeds as a powerful drama addressing the issues of an industry whose females have been silenced for many years. If I had to make one negative note, it would probably be that the film spends a little too much time in its setup, resulting in a tedious pace until the audience finally arrives in the story’s second act. Unfortunately, not enough people will have the opportunity to see this film since it is independent and will only make it to independent cinemas and/or cineplexes in bigger cities. However, if you do get the chance to see this film and have any interest in the entertainment industry at all, I highly recommend going to see it. Sure, it is not a happy film by any means, but it is a real film, and sometimes it doesn’t hurt to take a closer look into reality. I give the film a 7.5 out of 10, based on purely entertainment.