The Assistant
Directed by Kitty Green
Written by Kitty Green
The review:
On the one hand this is a like enduring a very long day of a job you long to quit; on the other the minute-by-minute chronicle allows plenty of time to contemplate things* as the banal a-lot-ain’t-right-here feelings continue. What Julia Garner is doing is a lot harder than it looks and she carries us through her mundane, creepy, and disgusting tasks.** Even more fun: the things other employees say as justification.***
The verdict: Recommended
Cost: $1.80 via Redbox
Where watched: at home
Consider also watching:
Further sentences:
*”If movies are made by people like this, why am I even supporting the industry?” was one of my many thoughts.
**Kitty Green’s choice to never show the boss is what makes this movie so powerful.
***A close second: the lines Garners co-workers feed her so she can properly apologize to her terrible boss.
Questions:
- What was the most surprising thing about the company?
- Would you continue to work in this job?
Favorite IMDB trivia item:
The film was shot in eighteen days.
Other reviews of The Assistant:
- Alissa Wilkinson, Vox
- Sheila O’Malley, RogerEbert.com
