The Assistant

It's impressive how this movie is so low key and just shows what is likely a very ordinary day for the protagonist, yet still remains interesting and unnerving to watch. Entertaining might not be the best word to describe it, but neither is boring. It maintains a sense of quiet discomfort throughout, and the apathy of a toxic workplace and predatory behaviour of the higher-ups is explored extremely well with this stripped down, non-heightened approach.

I was glad I knew it was subdued and grounded before going in, as if I'd expected more, I may have spent all 80-something minutes of its runtime waiting for the "plot" to start happening.

Despite it being quiet and low key, it's also definitely not subtle. It's pretty clear what (or arguably even who) the movie is about, and I guess the very dry, quiet presentation with the strong and far from subdued intentions of the film did make for an odd but usually interesting contrast.

Also worth mentioning is that Julia Garner was great in the lead role, but the rest of the cast are mostly just decent.

Very accurate and realistic representation of a work day in a life of the newly assigned assistant to the boss, who's a creep and uses his status to fulfill his desires.

Do not expect anything graphic - everything is done very subtle and all the bad stuff happens behind the scenes.

Do not expect any action either - it is all just as low key and as mundane as it sounds like.

I recommend it, if knowing all that you're still up for it.

...only without the comfort of exaggeration or fantasy. Green employs exquisite camera composition to make the drab office environments a thing of sterile beauty, while Garner controls every uncomfortable on-screen moment with brilliantly still misery. Dehumanizing phone calls, oppressive mundanity, hopeless sexism. It's a painstakingly meticulous view into the soul-crushing work of the assistant to the powerful, especially when the roles are this cliched: man over woman.

"It's not my place to question your decisions. I'm grateful for the continued opportunity." Jane (Julia Gardner) to her boss (Tony Torn)

Jane is a recent college grad who has taken a new job in the city with a media-related firm that has her as an assistant who fears more will be asked of her than the usual go-fer tasks. The above quote just about summarizes her abasement after Boss discovers Jane has complained to HR about his seemingly-predatory practices with young aspirants.

Writer-director Kitty Green has perceptively caught in The Assistant what we all suspected from the Harvey-Weinstein debacle-the sexism and sexual harassment that seem almost a part of a low-level young woman's job description. Plain Jane is constantly on camera, frequently in closeups and peering around the office finding stains on the couch she must clean and compromising conversations she must overhear. These shots do nothing to make her appealing other than to mark her as a good girl caught in compromising situations.

With little affect, Jane is the willing subordinate who might compromise herself should Boss advance on her but who probably is free of the harassment because she is "not his type." So says the HR officer, who listens to her concerns about her boss's predations with new or potential hires.

This scene should be seen by anyone who wants a feel for the imbalances in Weinstein-like worlds, where HR just might tell what you complained about to the Boss and co-workers, and where the fear that she might be fired if she complains keeps her from formally complaining. Jane must be complicit by not complaining or she will lose her precious job. Green makes a compelling case for the gloomy perspective through scenes that demean the protagonist and the office crew.

The Assistant has a Seinfeld theme of being about nothing but really everything. The rumbles are underneath the surface and almost undetectable, so the surface seems cool and accommodating. Yet, looking at Jane's bland face and seeing her capitulate to power and advancement makes on want to certify every minute Harvey stays behind bars.

I really enjoyed this film, it feels real and doesn't give in to sensationalism. If you're looking for thrills and spills then this isn't it.