REVIEW 087rom the jurors attempting to decide a matter
of life and death in 12 Angry Men to the
Brooklynite tensions reaching fever pitch
in Do the Right Thing, many notable films set within
a 24-hour period seek to show the audience what a
difference a day makes. Deals are done, the die is cast,
lives are irrevocably changed, and the fragile, fleeting
nature of human mortality comes to the forefront.
In Kitty Green’s The Assistant, the same structure
is employed, but for the purposes of highlighting
the monotony of the title character’s role, as well as
the immense pressure placed on some of the most
vulnerable people within the entertainment industry.
Jane (Julia Garner) is a young college graduate
with aspirations of being a film producer. She is a few
months into a gruelling job as an assistant for a studio
chairman in New York City. Her day begins before
everyone else’s, and ends long after they’re gone. She
orders coffees and lunches, prepares protein shakes,
plans travel itineraries and tends to all the minutiae
with which so-called important people never have to
trouble themselves. She appears largely invisible to
more senior employees, who only speak to her when
they want something or have reason to reprimand her.
Her boss, meanwhile, is a shadowy spectre who barks
orders and insults down the phone. He’s an obvious
stand-in for Harvey Weinstein, but it doesn’t really
matter – he could be any number of men at the top of
the entertainment food chain.
Over the course of the day, Jane encounters a new
assistant named Ruby (Makenzie Leigh) and becomes
concerned her boss is abusing his position of power.
She’s all but laughed out of the room by a humanresources manager (Matthew Macfadyen on top
smarmy form) who kindly informs Jane she personally
has nothing to worry about, as “you’re not his type.”
A defeated Jane quietly returns to her desk and her
unconcerned male colleagues.
By now we know that the MeToo movement hasn’t
solved the deep-rooted problems of sexual abuse and
coercion within the entertainment industry, but it
has shone a light on them. The Assistant is a fittingly
austere, uncomfortable film, making use of a dreary,
muted colour palette and office-based white noise
rather than music in order to underscore Jane’s
isolation, but also the way women are forced to throw
themselves into their work to prevent thinking about
the darker issues which plague the industry. Perhaps
the most grotesque element is how painfully true it
all is. Jane is rewarded with tidbits of praise, told that
she’s being mistreated in the name of making her
better at her job. Garner smiles gently, acts dutifully,
though all the while there’s a sense she might break at
any moment. There are thousands of girls just like her
working across the entertainment industry, and even
more who were forced out by the actions of men who
should have known better.
Even in their apparent insignificance, the 24 hours
depicted in The Assistant are quietly radical. Green’s
stripped back, stark approach gives the viewer and the
story nowhere to hide – we’re with Jane every step of
the way, acutely aware of how all-consuming her job
is. It’s a bitter reminder of how insidious the abuse of
power is within the film industry, and instead of naively
suggesting there are any easy fixes, Green invites us to
continue the conversation. HANNAH WOODHEADDirected by
KITTY GREEN
Starring
JULIA GARNER
MAKENZIE LEIGH
MATTHEW MACFADYEN
Released
3 APRIL
ANTICIPATION.
Casting JonBenet was a gruelling
but fascinating watch.
ENJOYMENT.
A simple premise,
masterfully executed.
IN RETROSPECT.
Required viewing for every
person in a job with an in-built
power structure.
The Assistant
F