Review of The Assistant (2020) by Greatmartin — 21 Feb 2020

For many years I have stood up for seeing a movie in a theatre on the big screen it is made for. I am, also, a big backer of the #MeToo movement.

I have seen 9 movies so far this year and can only recommend two: "Clemency" and "Just Mercy". Both have excellent performances by the actors and though the latter tackles an often told story it is approached with an intensity that takes you into the hearts and minds of the characters while the former takes us into a world that hasn't often been explored.

The other 7 have either been a waste of time or a waste of money or a waste of time and money! "The Assistant" is both though it is one of the latest to tackle the the #MeToo movement. I was looking forward to seeing Julia Garner as I watched her in the Netflix series "Ozarks" and was intrigued by her performance. In a very short time, we have learned a lot about what goes on behind the scenes in the movie and television business and how badly women are treated.

Kitty Green, the director and screenwriter of "The Assistant" shows us that having Garner give a monotone performance with many shots just on her face thinking. They both show us quickly how low on the ladder a woman is and how she is treated or ignored by all including other women and men who have the same position she has. What is to come is shown in the early scenes as Garner cleans her boss's couch and finds an earring.

The film is 81 minutes filled with a lot of unnecessary and repetitious scenes which if eliminated would have made a stronger film or allowed more time for 2 scenes, with one being passed over far too quickly, which are important to the movement.