Movies naturally cross the border between reality and representation. The persuasiveness is doubled by directly importing transcripts of sexual crimes, using actual victims, and using actors most like those involved in the case. In a place where representation and reality overlap, the voices of women who were taken away by perpetrators become a huge resonance, leading to the time after MeToo. And the silent will of Jodi Kantor and Megan Twohey, who take the first step, makes us think about the sincerity of reporters who deal with an incident that completely changes someone’s life. This is a work that does not miss the merits of an investigative journalism film that clearly delves into the underbelly of the world through a list of dry information.
Although the audience already knows the ending of the movie, they follow the events with bated breath as they face each and every hardship that the reporters face. The director created suspense by focusing on how the two reporters began reporting, what difficulties they encountered during the reporting process, what was needed to publish the article, and unknown facts. It is a story with elements of an investigative thriller dealing with a great evil, but there is no exaggeration in the directing or acting. Even in scenes where a reporter meets an informant or negotiates with the perpetrator’s lawyer, the camera takes a step away and watches through the glass window before approaching. The audience quietly participates in the reporter’s reporting process.
The film not only does not reveal Weinstein’s face, but it also does not reenact any violence against women. As can be seen from the camera lingering on the faces of Kantor and Twohey for a long time as they listen to the victims, the film does not focus on the sensational aspects of the case, but instead focuses on the moments when the women show courage and respond to prevent another victim. The women who made the difficult decision to reveal the truth all thought of ‘the next person.’ I testified with courage in the hope that the same violence would not be repeated in my children’s generation. The names of each person in close-up on the article in the film are conveyed with a different weight than before to the audience, who share the difficult times they endured.