L'intouchable, Harvey Weinstein

Any "backlash" against #MeToo is difficult because unlike chasing Soviet spies among Hollywood's greatest talents during McCarthyism or burning witches the purpose of it is surely not absurd and wrong. But this film shows quite a few problematic things with the movement born as a hashtag. The biggest problem I see is the conscious choice of bypassing the official justice system. I mean Weinstein is awaiting a trial now and he surely hopes for a fair one. Only Paz de la Huerta seemed to understand that if you were ready to go on Twitter or before cameras with your accusations, you should make at least a symbolic attempt at approaching the prosecutors to simply maintain some credibility. Other big problems are gossips and inside jokes treated as evidences of guilt. I think the film is premature to put it gently and quite morally questionable despite its noble intentions. "Leaving Neverland" comes to mind, although surely not a premature film - quite the opposite.

I am certainly no apologist for Weinstein, he has been despicable in a dozen ways, and even before the revelations about his predation on young women came out. Those predations against young women were criminal and I give high level of credibility to his accusers. But this film does not honestly explore how broadly this was known and accepted in Hollywood and how prevalent the casting couch culture has been -- and remains -- and how it fit into so well into the media and entertainment business and why. We have Ken Auletta pontificating, when Auletta was perhaps the closest of journalists to Charlie Rose, a friend and professional collaborator, appearing on the Charlie Rose show 96 times, when Charlie Rose's predations were an open secret. Indeed Rose's production company had been pushed out of PBS offices and moved to the media offices most well known to be toxic toward women -- the offices of Michael Bloomberg. Why no Rose and Bloomberg in the context?

It's a decent enough documentary but I didn't learn anything new from what's already been reported. This film kind of consolidates most of that reporting. A good point toward the end that it makes is that there are certainly others like him out there not only in Hollywood but other industry segments, more as a warning to potential victims than a preview of any upcoming prosecutions. Currently, Harvey is awaiting criminal trial in 2020, even as he just settled more lawsuits without admitting fault or otherwise being held accountable.

Harvey Weinstein was an excellent cinematographic producer with an extraordinary intuition. He was a workaholic and became then a geek without any real friend. He was also a boss as merciless as tyrannical who wouldn't take a « no » for an answer. Until then, it is objectively the public and well-known portrait of Harvey Weinstein before the media emergence of the scandal. Thus, this excellent documentary completes his curriculum vitae with an avalanche of testimonies as poignant as sorrowful. Personally, I was particularly moved by that of Hope Exiner D'Amore.

Harvey Weinstein was an unscrupulous and pathetic predator who shamefully abused his power. The description of his cv is now finished, as is his career.

Harvey Weinstein was a sexual predator for several decades, he used his power, fame and size to force himself on women and covered it up with restrictive non disclosure agreements. His world came crashing down in 2017 when more than 75 women made allegations of inappropriate behaviour to sexual assault.

Many of these allegations had similarities regarding how Weinstein operated by bringing women alone to his hotel suite where he would quickly get naked like it was natural. Cajoling them to massage him, getting enraged if he was rejected.

As Untouchable went on the testimonies of the women got more harrowing. Yet Harvey Weinstein regarded himself as untouchable, the self proclaimed sheriff who would use his bullying powers to shut critics up. After all his film company Miramax made a name for themselves when it came to their aggressive Oscar campaigns.

However journalists such as Megan Twohey and Jodi Kantor ploughed on with their investigations and eventually broke the story in the New York Times. Later Ronan Farrow gathered eye witness accounts for the New Yorker magazine.

Harvey Weinstein's world crumbled and his company went into trouble. He sought shelter behind a rehab clinic to get over his problems and pleaded for second chances.

Some main players were missing in this documentary such as Rose McGowan who at first was vilified for going public with her allegations. However this documentary allowed his less well known accusers an opportunity to tell their tale.

It quickly led to the #MeToo movement. Whether anything in Hollywood change, only time will tell. Women and men are always going to be at risk if producers, investors, directors and others in the performing arts think they are entitled to sexual favours to further careers.