The Assistant (2019)

About The Assistant

The Assistant is an American drama film written and directed by Kitty Green. It premiered at the Telluride Film Festival on August 30, 2019. It provides a glimpse into a day in the life of Jane (Julia Garner), a recent college graduate and aspiring film producer, who has recently landed her dream job as a junior assistant to a powerful entertainment mogul. As she performs her daily tasks, the top-down toxicity that pervades her work environment becomes increasingly clear, and she struggles to reconcile her career ambitions with her personal integrity.

Making / Production

The Assistant, directed by Kitty Green, was praised for its subtle but impactful revelation of the systemic and insidious nature of workplace harassment and power dynamics. Shot with a muted color palette, the movie focuses less on dramatic confrontations and more on the tedium and monotony of Jane's tasks, effectively capturing the suffocating atmosphere of her workplace.

Actors

• Julia Garner as Jane: Garner's masterful performance as the quiet but determined Jane is central to the film. She conveys volumes with little dialogue, subtly revealing Jane’s growing disillusionment and tension.
• Matthew Macfadyen as Wilcock: He plays an HR representative who is dismissive and gaslighting, making Jane's predicament even more distressing.
• Makenzie Leigh as Ruby: Ruby is a young, naive actress who is potentially vulnerable to the same exploitative system that Jane navigates daily.

Trivia / Interesting Facts

• The film was inspired by the allegations against Harvey Weinstein, although it never names the boss or the company it is depicting.
• The director, Kitty Green, interviewed hundreds of women while researching the script in order to create an authentic depiction of workplace harassment.

Quotes

• "Whatever's going on in your head, it's not how this place works."
• "Don't worry. You're not his type."
• "I'm not trying to make friends, I just want to get things right."

Music, Soundtrack

• The Assistant does not prominently feature a musical score. Its power lies in its quietude - the sounds of office equipment, hushed conversations, and Jane's isolated footsteps contribute more to the atmosphere than a traditional soundtrack.