The Assistant

...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.

This was my life for 5 years in my 20s. Dreadful and boring; being treated like complete crap by anyone in positions of authority save a few people, being ignored, asked to smile more, dress more or less sexy, catcalled, and asked to do things that were morally wrong for myself. So I relate to this movie. Some may find it boring but if you've worked in a toxic environment whether your male or female you'll see similarities that aren't always picked up on. Brilliantly done.

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.

I can see why some viewers don't like this movie, there is no action, essentially no background music until the very end, and the focus is squarely on this young assistant who has been in the job for 5 weeks after graduating from a good college. Her ambition is to work her way into being a Producer.

Julia Garner, a New Yorker herself, is age-appropriate, was probably about 24 during filming, she is simply Jane. She calls home periodically, her parents tell her to get enough sleep, she is very diligent and professional, she gets to the office before daybreak and is often the last to leave. She gets sandwiches, makes copies, arranges flights and hotels, her work keeps the offices running. There is no frivolity.

Her awakening to the reality of things is when she goes in to make an anonymous concern, that sexual shenanigans might be going on even with the big boss, an unqualified girl from Idaho is hired and put up at a hotel, and basically finds out her job is to mind her own business if she wanted to keep her job.

It is easy to think this was inspired by Harvey Weinstein and his office, and maybe it was, but enough has come to light over the past few years to realize this is closer to the norm than it is to the exception. The story is less about the big boss taking advantage of pretty young girls, it is more about the culture and the widespread acceptance within the office that this is the norm. But one worker told her "Don't worry, you're not his type."

The story covers one long day but it gets its point across. Garner is superb in her role as Jane but we get no clue what might eventually happen for her. My wife and I watched this at home on DVD from our public library. When it ended she asked "It's over?"