We have seen films dedicated to the first years in the history of cinema, like Stanley Donen’s musical Singin’ in the rain, or Michel Hazavanicius’ The Artist. Satires like Robert Altman’s The Player, horror films like David Lynch’s Mullholand Drive, and also, films focused on exposing the darkest side behind all the awards and glitter, like Billy Wilder’s Sunset Boulevard or David Cronenberg’s Maps to the stars.

Generally these films are a result of the desire to explore what audiences do not normally get to see, what lies behind the creation of a film, the processes that are hidden to our eyes. However, The Assistant is not interested on how filmmakers actually work or on how actors prepare, it is centered on how an abusive figure has managed to use its power to control everything around him.

The fact that the protagonist happens to be working as an assistant on a production company is not that relevant after all. The focus of the film is placed on a smaller scale to analyze how influential, authoritative figures abuse their power and how that affects not only those who have been abused, but also the lives of people in their surroundings.

It is no secret that the main reason why the film is set around a production company has to do with the figure of Harvey Weinstein, however it could have been set on any other professional context and the film would work just as perfectly.

Despite the fact that I am not in a position to give my perspective on this issue, it is impossible to escape from the idea that this film is inspired on the figure of Harvey Weinstein. The film mogul had used his position of power for years to abuse, rape, harass and damage the careers of actresses -among them, women like Rose McGowan, Ashley Judd, Mira Sorvino… too many to include here, sadly-.

When the spotlight hit the case, not only the film industry was shaken to its core, giving birth to the #metoo movement as a result but also it showed us another dark layer under the mountain upon which the Hollywood letters are located.

The notion that this so-called person had the ability to act as he did for so many years with total impunity is impossible to grasp, except when you stop to understand the fact that he has had the position to silence and the influence to alter people’s careers and existence (as seen by the countless times Weinstein’s name has been mentioned in several awards acceptance speeches or in the fact that a number of the women abused by him have had their careers almost ruined).           

By centering its focus on a young assistant -brilliantly played by Julia Garner- responsible of menial tasks like washing the dishes, making photocopies, taking on deliveries or arranging schedules, Kitty Green’s script manages to expose the darkest secrets of a high-flying producer and explore the influence of his power in a way that is completely relatable to the viewer.  

We as the audience do not get to see cameos of famous people playing a fictionalized version of themselves -although we get to see a short cameo of Patrick Wilson checking his phone in an elevator-, we are oblivious to the magic of the filmmaking processes explored countless times before, here, our access is limited only to reading some lines of a script as Jane -Garner- makes photocopies. The Assistant is clearly not interested on showing us how a film is made. 

It is not difficult to believe that Green’s previous films are documentaries, as the filmmaking style on The Assistant is an example of a minimalistic, real style that does not emphasize on camera tricks or long, difficult shots to attract our attention. We, as audience, are treated as a fly on the wall in the company, as witnesses of the comments made about several hideous acts and also on how, sadly, these acts have become part of people’s lives to the extent that, although they acknowledge them, they prioritize the potential benefits attached to their silence over the damage caused. 

The Assistant deals with a topic that is both difficult to handle and necessary to be studied carefully, and it does so from the realistic, easy to empathize with perspective of the powerless character, the common person who is in the middle of a situation that has become extremely difficult to control and finds herself on the verge of collapse. A person who is in charge of cleaning the glitter on the red carpet after a premiere, but who never gets to see the stars of the film.