She lives in Astoria, but she works in the City. That means the company car picks her up long before the sun has a chance to crack the horizon. And like most administration assistants, she’s the first in, last out, day after day. Her job: Print the day’s schedule, hand out the lunches, mix up her bosses’ protein shakes, and scrub out those unsightly stains on his couch. Written and directed by Kitty Green, The Assistant is about Harvey Weinstein. Maybe not in name, but certainly in spirit. The mogul—heard, but never seen—owns two offices in one of Manhattan’s tonier districts, another in Los Angeles, and one in London, and everyone but his assistant (Julia Garner), seems to know what he’s up to. None of them approve, but everyone is complicit. It’s a gross feeling, and cinematographer Michael Latham takes care to make the images match. The movies they may be working on at this production company are no doubt glamorous; the day-to-day of the office is anything but. Strong stuff, one of the year’s best.

The Assistant (2019)
Written and directed by Kitty Green
Produced by P. Jennifer Dana, Kitty Green, Ross Jacobson, Scott Macaulay, James Schamus
Starring: Julia Garner, Kristine Froseth, Matthew Macfadyen
Bleecker Street, Rated R, Running time 87 minutes, Premiered Aug. 30, 2019 at the Telluride Film Festival

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This review first appeared in Boulder Weekly Vol. 27, No. 26, “The Assistant.”