So some of you have noticed that I’ve been writing pieces about experiences. Honestly I’m trying to come across as some regular guy audiences feel comfortable with here and there. But I know people come to know what content I’m up to. And instead of that I’m going to display an example of advertising meant only to keep people interested in what I do with clickbait.
The movie She Said based on the book documenting the #MeToo campaign’s origin is premiering in the New York Film Festival. But what’s happening that same week? A subject of that same book/movie, Harvey Weinstein. For those of you who don’t care, Weinstein was a film producer and major executive of MGM Studios, having acquired it through his own company. But he’s also a noticeable sex pest involved in many sexual misconduct cases, most of which he covered up through bribes and blackmail. She Said is essentially a dramatization of reporters efforts to expose Weinstein eventually manifesting in the #MeToo campaign.
Now my thoughts on this are not about the campaign itself. People have already gone into all of the pros and cons of its legacy. Neither am I going into a conspiracy rant about some ideological agenda. Rather it’s the timing of the movie’s premiere on October 13 along with Harvey Weinstein’s trial taking place the same week. Or at least the jury getting together.
I may be full of it because the timing could just be a coincidence. But it’s hard not to feel like that this is a deliberate means of advertising the movie. I’m sure the production companies (Annapurna and Plan B) mean well; I mean they’re not connected to major studios who were willing to make a quick buck.
Let’s Compare
But let me compare this timing to a similar movie, South Korea’s Silenced. Based on the novel The Crucible, this was a dramatization of teachers taking advantage of disabled kids with acts of physical and sexual misconduct. But even more insidious were how the staff got off easily and how the systems that allowed it to happen prospered for close to a decade. The movie was meant to shine light on this with outrage forcing it into the public eye. So notable that with the movie’s release the case was reopened with the school administrator properly punished to serve as an example to the other staff. Not only that but the school was shut down and a law named after the movie removed any statute of limitations, including how violators would now face life in prison for such an act.
But what’s the crucial difference between this and “She Said”? This movie and even the book took place close to a decade after the incident. They were made to spread awareness and move people to reexamine this event. But She Said the book as well as social media have already done what it set out to do. It exposed Harvey’s crimes and he’s already serving 20 years in prison per a rape charge that #MeToo helped expose. With any luck, the trial will give Harvey a life sentence.
But with that in mind, is the premiere supposed to rally moviegoers in case Harvey doesn’t get his life sentence? Are judges, lawyers, or jurors involved in the trial involved? Is the public premiere in November supposed to be a celebration if Harvey does get his sentence?
Let Me Give You An Example
Now for something that I hope gets my point across.
Want to see someone get their comeuppance as much as Harvey Weinstein? Checkout my highlight of Ryan North’s worst arc of Unbeatable Squirrel Girl coming soon!
Does that feel out of place? Well it should!
This is what I feel is happening with She Said. Instead of waiting for when Harvey (hopefully not) escapes convictions. This movie release sounds like betting and celebrating an outcome that hasn’t happened. More than that banking on someone’s downfall to increase profiles. Should I even have to mention how the production companies behind this movie are just as much willing to get this movie out for it’s awards potential at the Oscars or Golden Globes as much as trying to do some moral good? I’ve seen Plan B CEO Brad Pitt’s philanthropic profile, well intentioned but messily executed.
Last Disclaimer
Will the movie still be any good with how effective the marketing is? From the previews I’ve seen, it will at least get financial success and compel audiences with its thriller elements. But the rest will remain to be seen. Although I can already feel the Rotten Tomatoes audience reviews won’t be great. As far as critics of #MeToo go anyway.
I just feel like it would’ve been better received if the filmmakers waited a few years.