A look at a day in the life of an assistant to a powerful corporate executive.
Jane (Julia Garner), an assistant at a production company, bears the responsibility of mundane work which includes getting lunches, cleaning the office, even lying to the boss’s wife regarding his whereabouts. When a younger, prettier girl named Sienna (Kristine Frøseth) is hired right under her nose, Jane struggles with the idea of exposing her boss regarding their involvement and the inappropriate behavior of other young women that frequent his office. In a male-dominated environment where they stick together and remind her it is a great privilege to work for the company, she feels the constant threat of losing her job. Finally, finding the courage to confide in human resources, she is bullied into dismissing the claims based on hearsay and lack of proof. Silenced with threats of losing her job, Jane regrets coming forward and dismisses the accusations.
This movie starts off at a very slow pace and it doesn’t have a strong score that carries us emotionally through pivotal moments, but once it gets going the story is actually good. You do feel for Jane as she is young, naive and wants to please her parents with what is probably her first job out of college. It reminded me of my first few office jobs where I witnessed the most inappropriate behavior from my boss and when I did report him to human resources, I was also told I needed to have “thick skin” and they didn’t have time to “babysit me.”
It makes you think about the many unreported incidents that have been shoved under the rug out of fear. This is a good film that could have been better but in the current climate of workers being exposed for abusing their authority, it is right on time.
In Theaters Friday, January 31st
