In an Office, Secrets Linger Behind Closed Doors

Julia Garner in "The Assistant"
Photo Credit: RottenTomatoes.com

Writer-director Kitty Green’s film, “The Assistant,” begins with Jane (Julia Garner) being driven to work when the sun isn’t even up yet.  Going into the office and not having anything the muffled sounds of the city, empty hallways, and droning of the florescent lights, Jane walks around the office, prepping it for the day, but looking as if she’s already defeated before that day even begins.  We’re not quite sure what her workday usually entails, but there’s obviously something going on.

This is a superb introduction to Green’s film, a chilling and searing drama whose power comes from its relevant subject matter and restrained, yet effective lead performance from Garner.

Jane is a college graduate who works in the Manhattan office of a film production company.  While she hasn’t worked there for long, she soon begins to suspect that there’s some sordid activity going on within the workplace.

Garner elicits a performance that shows Jane’s vulnerability in being in the oppressiveness of her job, but then shows a slowly rising resilience as her character begins to put clues together as to what’s been going on just a few feet from her desk.  Several times, we see Jane on the verge of possibly breaking down, but the way in which she displays signs of wanting to take matters into her own hands provides us with some hope that something might change.  There are times where we want her to have a chance to let out some pent-up emotion that she feels she can’t reveal in the office, to have herself be heard; but, when it doesn’t seem like there isn’t anyone who will listen to her, we want her hold those tears back so that she can maintain a steely resolve to do what needs to be done.  There’s a point in the movie where Jane says that she’s only been working at the company for a month and a half.  When we hear that, we have a hint of how, in that short span of time, she has gone through quite a bit that has made her feel uncomfortable, and the power of Garner’s performance has us feel that stomach-churning sense of not being taken seriously in a professional setting, especially at a time when a person needs to be heard and believed.

Just like Garner’s performance, the supporting cast does well in bringing you into the day-to-day operations of this office and giving you an idea of how these individuals interact with each.  The most memorable supporting character comes from Matthew Macfadyen, who plays a human resources rep at the production company.  He only has one scene, but it’s one of the film’s most-impactful, having him and Jane meet as she explains her suspicions pertaining to her boss.  Macfadyen presents his character as someone who seems to be understanding of Jane’s situation, only to then take on a more-hostile persona as he begins to discount the accusations that Jane brings to him, making this an unsettling and heartbreaking scene as Jane sees that the person who’s supposed to help her is against her.

Green’s screenplay tackles its subject matter by having the events of the movie take place over one day.  We see Jane going about her daily routines, and by approaching the story in this manner, we’re given the idea that nearly every day that Jane has worked in this office has unfolded in similar fashion.  Although the way in which the story is told may be straightforward, there are some nuances throughout that give the movie some of its depth.  Along with these subtleties, we have other factors that make us question what’s happening out of our sight.  Whether we hear a muffled conversation behind a door, or see a possibly incriminating act through an obscured window, we’re left wondering what’s happening at certain moments, which makes the story much more effective because this places us in Julia’s position of feeling uncertain of what’s going on, but having to go with our gut feeling that something isn’t right and must be addressed.

As a director, Green provides an aura of unease within the office, making us experience the emotionally cold conditions in which Jane has to work.  One aspect that helps to accomplish this is the film’s use of sound.  Except in the final scene, there isn’t any use of a score; so, instead, with most of the movie occurring inside the office, we’re pretty much just given the sounds of the workplace, which helps to heighten the sense of being in that environment.  With us being limited to just those sounds, the movie itself tends to be quiet, so we’re able to feel the full force of the words that are spoken, putting us on edge because of the tense conversations being the dominant sounds of the office.

If there’s a recent example of how effective the simplicity of closeups can be, it’s with Michael Latham’s cinematography, which Green uses to strengthen the sense of claustrophobia that Jane feels at always being scrutinized by her coworkers who keep their eyes on her to make sure that she does what’s expected of her.  With this, we’re placed alongside Jane in what appears to be an impending storm, where she must decide between doing what people want her to do, and what she believes must be done.

Despite its limited cast and setting, “The Assistant” utilizes everything that it has in order to present this timely story of workplace harassment, showing the actions that must be taken in order to expose the disturbing and festering secrets that are behind this topic.

Grade: A