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Over the last couple of years, more and more people have come forward to tell their stories of the harassment and abuses that have long been a part of the status quo in the entertainment industry. While the shocking stories make the headlines, though, The Assistant shows one young woman’s quiet observation of the industry’s abuses.
The Assistant stars Julia Garner as the young assistant to a powerful entertainment executive. In order to chase her dreams of becoming a film producer, she’s putting in her time doing menial tasks. She’s the first one in the office, hustling to get everything ready for the day. Though she’s all but invisible, she keeps everything running. She makes travel arrangements, prints scripts, fields calls from the boss’s wife. And in the midst of the monotony of it all, she becomes more and more aware of the exploitation and manipulation playing out all around her.
As this young assistant starts her day, silently going about her tasks, her story seems quiet and simple—and even mundane. There’s nothing remarkable about a young woman making phone calls or loading a refrigerator with bottled water. But as she takes care of each task, generally fading into the woodwork of the office, there are hints of how things really work for this executive: the earring found in the middle of the office floor, the pretty young woman who arrives to be the “new assistant.” It soon becomes clear that not only does this young woman have a terrible job, but she’s also in the middle of a hostile environment—yet when she decides to come forward and say something about it, she’s warned not to throw away her career over something so unimportant.
The Assistant isn’t Bombshell. It isn’t bold and in-your-face. But in its quietness and subtlety, in its office jokes and throwaway comments, it’s every bit as haunting. Garner is striking as the smart but timid young woman who’s demeaned and manipulated and encouraged to send one carefully-worded apology email after another in order to keep this horrible job that could someday help her build the career that she really wants. And though it’s sometimes easy to get caught up in the drudgery of the job, following the character from one mundane task to the next, you’ll eventually be struck by the reality of the situation—and the way in which it’s just shrugged off by everyone in the industry.
It may be quiet and subtle, but The Assistant speaks volumes. It isn’t a thrilling film—and, in light of recent revelations and accusations, it doesn’t offer up a whole lot of surprises. But it’s stunning in its subtleties.
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