I recently rewatched one of my favorite movies and was reminded just exactly why this movie is in my top 10. My favorite release of 2022, “She Said,” gave power back to women, such as myself.
What started as an article written by The New York Times investigative reporters Jodi Kantor and Megan Twohey soon became a historical movement for women. The two reporters spent years uncovering the sexual harassment settlements involving Harvey Weinstein. They eventually went on to write a book about their journey to publishing. The book was titled She Said.
I have seen some compare this movie to “All The President’s Men” as it similarly follows the breakthrough story told from the perspective of the journalists. I would safely say that this is the only similarity between the two, though. “She Said” is more than just a movie about the moments leading up to a release of an article.
Shortly after watching this movie for the first time, I sat on my kitchen floor crying. I had read the articles and I had read the book, but I still couldn’t fathom what had happened to these women. They were forced into sexual relations and then paid off for silence. He ruined careers and destroyed lives. If it wasn’t for the persistence of the journalists, he would not be where he is today — in jail for the rest of his life.
There is one line in the movie that nearly rips my heart out every time I hear it. “It was like he took my voice that day. Just when I was about to start finding it.” It rang in my ears like an echo for weeks. A sentence so true, I felt it in my core.
That sentence is only part of what you hear in this movie, though. More than 80 known women suffered from the abuse of Weinstein. Eighty women were sexually assaulted, raped and harrassed by one singular man. I would expect nothing less than there to be a movie, giving the power back to women.
Harvey Weinstein and the other mentioned offender in the movie, Donald Trump, were never shown through the duration of the movie — only their voices. Even into the title scene and the credits. This was a crucial part of the movie that may go over most people’s heads. By doing this, they took the power of their hands and placed it back into the women’s.
As I mentioned in my last column, there is still more work to be done when it comes to including sexual assault into movies, but this was an amazing start. “She Said” gave more power to the women than any other film has.
Since I was assaulted the first time in 2019, I have spent years devoting my time to the awareness of sexual assault. I have written columns, given public speeches and led support groups. I’ve learned along the way that survivors of sexual assault all have one thing in common — they want to be heard and believed. This movie gave us hope. It has helped us know that there is a chance for us to be seen for once. We exist. We are out here, standing next to you. Hear us. Believe us.
