2022 AFI Film Festival: She Said movie review: An essential and important viewing

On the third night of the 2022 AFI Film Festival, I got a chance to check out one of my most anticipated films of the fall, She Said. Does the film live up to the high praise it’s been receiving? Let’s dive in.

She Said follows New York Times reporters Megan Twohey and Jodi Kantor, who broke one of the most important stories of our generation. It’s the story that helped spark the #MeToo movement that brought to life years of sexual assault being swept under the rug or silenced in Hollywood. The movie was directed by Maria Schrader and stars Carey Mulligan and Zoe Kazan.

When you find a movie of this nature is being made, you automatically hope that it will be good because of the importance of the topic being handled. We know that Kantor and Twohey broke the story, wrote a book, and changed lives, so you need to make sure that you put the movie in the right hands, not to tarnish what these two ladies spent years trying to accomplish. I can tell you it was placed in the right hands of screenwriter Rebecca Lenkiewicz and director Maria Schrader.

She Said is one of the best films of the year

These two ladies took a story that most know and didn’t try to over-Hollywood-ize it or take away from the importance of the story. This story, its journey, isn’t about Harvey Weinstein, who committed these heinous acts but about the women who suffered through the disgusting things he did (and many others). One of the most powerful things they did was never show his face throughout the movie. It was the story of two women overcoming every single obstacle placed in their way to share these women’s stories that had been silenced for so many years.

Twohey was a new mom struggling with post-partum depression, and Kantor was trying to find that healthy balance of family and work. But the most important thing you take away from She Said is watching two working moms balancing their homes and work. It’s not something we always see depicted on the big screen.

Twohey and Kantor are played by Carey Mulligan and Zoe Kazan, who these two women portray with such fierce and passionate love that highlights their strong will to break this story. There are several scenes that brought chills down my arms and tears to my eyes, and it was because of the work of these two actresses.

Another strong standout was Nicholas Britell’s beautiful score. There are several moments where women are recanting about what happened to them, and that score brings an extra level of emotion.

Overall, She Said is not just one of the year’s best films but is essential for everyone. It’s a masterclass in storytelling that highlights the work of two extraordinary women that gave a voice to the voiceless. Please see this movie when it is released.

She Said hits theaters on Nov. 18, 2022.