Page 30 - ARUBA TODAY

A30 PEOPLE & ARTS
Friday 31 January 2020
‘The Assistant’ aims to go behind the headlines of #MeToo

By JAKE COYLE work environment around
AP Film Writer him, detailing a day in the
PARK CITY, Utah (AP) — life of a low-level assistant.
“The Assistant” is one of Green, an Australian film-
the first narrative films to maker, has previously
come out of the #MeToo made documentaries that
movement and the Harvey attempt to peel away the
Weinstein scandal. The film, superficial sheen of me-
written and directed by Kit- dia sensationalism. Her
ty Green, features a preda- debut, “Ukraine Is Not a
tory studio executive mod- Brothel,” profiled a Ukrai-
eled after Weinstein, but he nian feminist group famous
is unseen throughout the for its topless protests. Her
movie. “The Assistant” fo- 2017 documentary, “Cast-
cuses instead on the toxic ing JonBenet,” used local

Writer/director Kitty Green, left, and Julia Garner pose for a portrait to promote the film "The
Assistant" at the Music Lodge during the Sundance Film Festival on Sunday, Jan. 26, 2020, in Park
City, Utah.
Associated Press
Colorado actors to get lywood has sought to pres- the higher-ranking male
beyond the rumors and sure the industry to give its assistants next to her. They
tabloid headlines of the assistants fairer treatment assume she’ll entertain the
child pageant queen’s and better pay. boss’ children when they
unsolved murder. In 2017, But while “The Assistant” visit. Phone calls from the
Green was working on a may be reminiscent of wife get sent to her. She
film about sexual abuse on current headlines, it takes takes the lunch orders.
college campuses when a deliberately restrained Green depicts how power
the Weinstein case broke. approach to portraying operates in the office and
She quickly pivoted. gender dynamics in the the disorienting nature a
“I’ve always been inter- workplace. Where “Bomb- toxic environment that has
ested in the way these shell,” the Fox News dra- grown rigid through years
events, especially involv- ma, is starry and showy of practice. “A lot of peo-
ing women, are covered in its depiction of sexual ple, women and men were
in the press,” Green said in harassment at a media victims and they weren’t
an interview. “I was a little company, “The Assistant” is even aware that they were
concerned that the media muted and sober. “One of victims. It was like a whole
seemed to be focusing on the things she mentioned system in a way,” says Gar-
these evil men and not on when we first met up was ner. “It’s like it’s an out of
the system that surrounds she wanted the film to be body experience. They’re
them and the structures very quiet. And I think that getting thrown in to an aw-
that keeps them in power. was important because ful situation.” Green inter-
I wanted to look at it from a the subject is so loud,” says viewed, she says, some 100
different angle rather than Garner, the 25-year-old people who had worked
looking at it from the top “Ozark” actress. “It’s actu- as assistants in preparation
down. I wanted to look at it ally more powerful when for the film. She was stuck
from the bottom up.” you have a really quiet by the patterns in their ac-
“The Assistant,” which re- film, almost silent the whole counts about how their as-
cently screened at the Sun- time because the subject is cents in the industry were
dance Film Festival, arrives silence.” stymied by how they were
in limited theaters Friday In the film, Jane attends regarded in the workplace.
just as the Weinstein trial methodically to the rig- Most left the film industry.
is raging. (Weinstein has ors of her job: answering “I don’t have any experi-
pleaded not guilty to two phone calls; printing out ence being an assistant,
counts of rape, one count headshots of actresses; ly- not at a company here,
of criminal sexual act and ing about her boss’s where- but in Australia I did. And
two counts of predatory abouts to his wife; unpack- I did notice how my confi-
sexual assault.) Hollywood ing a shipment of erectile dence was sort of stripped
assistants, like the one dysfunction drugs; cleaning away from me. It really
named Jane and played stains off her boss’s couch. does shake your sense of
by Julia Garner in the film, “The Assistant” keeps to self when people don’t
are also rebelling. Since Jane’s perspective, cap- take you seriously,” says
last October, #PayUpHol- turing her interplay with Green.q