“She Said” (M) **** and a half

THE list of German-born director Maria Schrader’s filmography shows an acting career that began in 1988 in six TV series and 47 films and directing one TV series and five features. 

The screenplay by English writer Rebecca Lenkiewicz was based on the work of Jodi Kantor (Zoe Kazan, granddaughter of Elia Kazan who directed some great movies in his day) and Megan Twohey (Carey Mulligan), the two “New York Times” journalists who investigated the events leading to the imprisonment of Harvey Weinstein and collaborated on the book of the same name.

“She Said” is built from words set in a collection of images without which the words would find it hard to mean anything. The amalgamation of words and images tells the story of the #MeToo movement that was built by people who shared experiences but for years had been afraid to speak up because they thought that they might not be believed. 

That unwillingness to speak publicly hindered the publication of the “New York Times” article that first truly exposed Weinstein. And that’s what the film is about.

“She Said” runs for 129 minutes. Watching it is time well spent, delivering tensions, failures and successes, names of memorable movie and media people living gently powerful dramatic lives retelling some important journalism and movie industry history. Its poignant moments offer inspiring content, a straightforward and competent look at a disturbingly true story.

Many people may find the shared title of book and film to be enigmatic. There’s a children’s song about a pretty girl going a’milking and a bloke trying to get off with her until she tells him that she’s got no money, her face is her fortune. Every line she speaks in the song ends with “sir, she said”. It harks me back to drying the dishes that my father had just washed and singing together as we went. And in my mind, there is a connection, however much obscure.

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