She Said

As the contemporary 24-hour news cycle fuels cynicism and sociopolitical divisiveness, She Said illustrates that there will always be value in even-handed investigative reporting.

Its revelations are hardly surprising, yet this chronicle of the 2017 journalistic efforts to expose the sex crimes of Hollywood mogul Harvey Weinstein digs beneath the headlines and goes beyond the hashtags.

While it lacks the suspense and sizzle to join the pantheon of classic newsroom cinema, this salute to the dogged and resourceful reporters who broke a watershed story in the #MeToo movement is both compelling and inspiring.

Those women are Megan Twohey (Carey Mulligan) and Jodi Kantor (Zoe Kazan), writers at the New York Times who partner to follow up on allegations against Weinstein, the Oscar-winning producer whose harassment and abuse of women had been rumored for decades.

As weeks and months pass, they chase leads with former assistants and actresses who worked with Weinstein, but nobody will go on the record, bound by non-disclosure agreements and fearing retaliation by one of the most powerful men in a business with an atrocious legacy in terms of gender equity.

With help from a veteran editor (Patricia Clarkson), both reporters are forced to balance family obligations as they try to gain trust from potential sources ranging from actresses Rose McGowan and Ashley Judd to traumatized ex-Weinstein associates like Laura (Jennifer Ehle) and Zelda (Samantha Morton). Of course, the vengeful Weinstein will stop at nothing to derail the project.

With minimal frills, German filmmaker Maria Schrader (I’m Your Man) captures the dynamics of a modern newsroom, albeit at a major publication not as impacted as most by the economic realities of a struggling industry.

The procedural screenplay by Rebecca Lenkiewicz (Disobedience), adapted from the book by Twohey and Kantor, plays it safe and tends to downplay the lingering pain of the victims that could have made a deeper impact.

Fortunately, Mulligan and Kazan each convey depth and complexity in their roles beyond what the script requires. They balance persistence and determination with apprehension and the emotional vulnerability of motherhood.

Through their eyes, the film addresses the importance of women spearheading a watershed moment in cultural and corporate gender politics without feeling too heavy-handed or self-congratulatory.

Instead, the cleverly titled She Said channels its subjects in telling an important story with a focus not on preaching or grandstanding, but facts and truth.

Rated R, 128 minutes.