Disclaimer: “She Said” depicts themes surrounding sexual abuse and sexual harassment, although no actual footage is shown. Common Sense Media advises that it is appropriate for viewers ages 15+.

Seek the truth and report it. This is a pillar of journalism that guides me as a student journalist. It is how we know about the Watergate scandal and how women and journalists were able to shatter decades of silence, take down power and ignite the #MeToo movement. Seeking the truth and reporting it is also a main theme of the film “She Said.”

“She Said” is a biographical film that follows New York Times investigative reporters Jodi Kantor (Zoe Kazan) and Megan Twohey’s (Carey Mulligan) journey as they expose Harvey Weinstein’s history of sexual abuse towards women. The film shines a light on the courage it took for the survivors, witnesses and reporters to stand up to power.

The film was written by Rebecca Lenkiewicz and directed by Maria Schrader. It was released Nov. 18 by Plan B Entertainment and Annapurna Pictures.

You may have heard of former film producer and current convicted sex offender Harvey Weinstein, as his name and criminal history dominated the news. In 2020, he was sentenced to 23 years for rape, sexual abuse and sexual misconduct, among many other felonies, dating back to the ’70s.

Twohey and Kantor’s reporting was instrumental in igniting the #MeToo movement. “She Said” is based on Twohey and Kantor’s investigation as well as their non-fiction book, “She Said: Breaking the Sexual Harassment Story That Helped Ignite a Movement.” One reason I believe the film and story are impactful is because it is about two women working together. We’ve seen many male journalists portrayed in the media but not female journalists often, which makes their collaboration even more inspiring.

“She Said” is unique because it does not depict what Harvey Weinstein did, but, instead, what it took for his history of abuse and harassment to be exposed. The film stands out in depicting the challenges that Twohey and Kantor faced in breaking this groundbreaking story. Weinstein used as many resources such as hiring lawyers, paying off women to silence them and forcing women to sign non disclosure agreements. He even went as far as to hire Israeli intelligence officers to spy on his accusers and the reporters who were investigating him.

The score, composed by Nicholas Britell, added another layer of emotion and depth to the film. As a cello player, I appreciated that Britell featured cello in addition to an orchestra in each piece. The score reflected the intensity of Kantor and Twohey’s investigation and the emotions that they felt in each step of their journey.

Although we have heard a lot about Harvey Weinstein, what makes the book and the film unique and not redundant is that they focus less on him and more on what it took to get the story published. Lenkiewicz and Schrader made the deliberate choice to never show Weinstein’s face in the film and only show his back in a couple of scenes or his voice. In one scene, the filmmakers used the real audio recording of Weinstein and model Ambra Battilana Gutierrez to provide an example of how extremely inappropriate his behavior is.

While the filmmakers casted a few actors to play the women who faced his abuse and came forward, many of the real life women were part of “She Said,” on screen and off. When the actor portraying Jodi Kantor is on the phone with Gwyneth Paltrow, the voice is actually Gwyneth Paltrow. Actress Ashley Judd also plays herself in some of the most powerful scenes in the film, which made it even more impactful and authentic.

The filmmakers also added authenticity by filming “She Said” in The New York Times building. It was the first film to ever use the the real New York Times offices for filming.

Kazan and Mulligan’s portrayal of Twohey and Kantor’s camaraderie and dynamic was engaging throughout the film. While Twohey is on maternity leave in the film, she supports Kantor as she is gathering more information about Weinstein’s abuse and attempting to get sources to go on the record. Kantor also supports Twohey in her struggles with postpartum depression. As I watched “She Said,” I could see Kazan and Mulligan were excellent in portraying their passion, resilience and dedication and depicting how historic and ground-breaking Twohey and Kantor’s investigation and reporting was.

After the original story was published, over 80 women came forward to share their experiences of Weinstein’s abuse and so many more have come forward with their own experiences outside of Hollywood. “She Said” will continue to illuminate the power of collaboration and fortitude and inspire viewers to stand up to power and use their voices.