directed by Kitty Green
This isn’t an ordinary film. When I was watching it, I felt horribly uncomfortable. And I guess that was the point. Because “The Assistant” is about how usual sexual harassment has become, which is definitely not the nicest topic. The main character is Jane (Julia Garner), who’s a young woman that’s just begun her first serious job. She works as an assistant at a film production company and starts realising how pathological the situation there is. And it’s not just this one company. The film presents some kind of culture that has been created, which allows people to harass others and make everything look fine. I’m glad such production was made and I definitely appreciated how they presented the problem. I mean, we follow Jane for the whole day and experience everything she does. Very often those are long moments of silence, which are impossible to stand because of the constant tension there. Generally, the film may seem boring, because it’s just about a random assistant at work. What’s so special about it? She needs to take care of some papers, make calls, sit at the desk and wait till her day is over. And that’s exactly what we see in the film. However, the atmosphere is so intense that you really wish to stop watching. Not because it’s boring, but because it’s hurting you from the inside. A really strange production. Yet, a very important topic, wonderful camerawork and great idea for the story. Even though I’m recommending it, I hope I’ll never watch it again.
My rating: 6/10
S.
I have nothing to watch 