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The Assistant Movie Review

The Assistant is a 2020 drama film directed by Kitty Green and starring Julia Garner. It’s a slow, but powerful take on the many degradations a woman may experience in an office job.

As Jane follows her daily routine, she grows increasingly aware of the insidious abuse that threatens every aspect of her position. This movie is very slow and very uneventful, there is no denying that. It takes a bold, yet ultimately overly deadening effect of being extremely realistic in its ever plot point and scenario.

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It’s a movie that feels so real that it may be considered its strength, but also its flaw. It was intriguing, but for me I expect a more cinematic treatment when it comes to movies, even independent ones. Still, the movie is overall very strong because its themes are important as it showcases very realistic, believable scenarios.

The conversation that Jane has with her boss is deeply uncomfortable and so truthful unfortunately. His condescending attitude toward her was repulsive and believable, and the entire dialogue went as it would in real life. It’s by far the film’s most powerful, amazing part that acts as the sole reason to see it.

I also appreciated the movie for being honest when it comes to Jane herself as her striving to fix things is also showcased to have been very selfish all along. Yes, she fights for the right thing, but she also feels threatened and jealous of this new hot woman in the office, and that being showcased made the movie both honest and authentic.

The Assistant is phenomenally acted with Julia Garner delivering one of the year’s finest performances. She is magnetic throughout with her facial expressions being superb, especially the feelings of discomfort and utter helplessness. The character is very well written and excellent. Others are only fleeting appearances, but that’s the point as the film put you so successfully inside the protagonist’s head, thus it felt very claustrophobic and suspenseful in its own small-scale way. I just wish the first half was more engaging.

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Though clearly overly slow, too realistic and uneventful in its far from engaging first half, The Assistant became much more interesting in the second half, culminating in the protagonist’s powerful, deeply uncomfortable conversation with her boss. It’s a movie that showcases truthfully and believably how unfair, deadening and hopeless an office job can be for a woman and anyone really that is working in a subordinate position.

My Rating – 4

You can get The Assistant on Amazon.