This review was originally published by its author Sam Sewell-Peterson on SSP Thinks Film.
The Assistant (2019/20)
Director: Kitty Green
Screenwriter: Kitty Green
Starring: Julia Garner, Matthew Macfadyen, John Orsini, Noah Robbins, Kristine Froseth, Mackenzie Leigh, Purva Bedi
Kitty Green’s The Assistant is a quietly devastating study of the everyday mechanisms that enable abuse to continue unchecked within powerful institutions. Rather than dramatizing scandalous headlines or staging sensational confrontations, the film narrows its focus to the low-level, repetitive labor and the small violations that together create a culture of complicity. The result is an unflinching portrait of workplace power dynamics, gender inequality, and the emotional toll of being constantly diminished by those in authority.
Julia Garner plays Jane, a junior assistant at a major film studio whose day-to-day role is entirely consumed by the minutiae that keep others’ lives running smoothly. Her job is to handle the logistics nobody else wants: tidying meeting rooms, managing travel arrangements, making coffee and sandwiches, and smoothing over the personal disruptions that follow her boss. The film follows her through a single day that extends into a series of small humiliations and ethical dilemmas, all of which reveal how normalized such treatment has become.
Green’s screenplay is economical and observant. There are no overt revelations or explosive scenes; instead, the drama is composed of tiny abrasions that accumulate into a larger indictment. Jane witnesses what she believes to be predatory behavior toward a young woman who arrives at the company. When she seeks help from human resources, the encounter that follows is the film’s emotional core: a conversation with an HR representative, played by Matthew Macfadyen, that gradually exposes how institutions prioritize reputation and power over justice and safety.
The HR scene is painful precisely because it feels familiar and realistic. Macfadyen’s character shifts from the appearance of empathy to a calculating dismissal of Jane’s concerns, subtly weaponizing career ambitions and professional vulnerability against her. He does not deny that there is a problem; rather, he makes clear that addressing it would be inconvenient and dangerous for the organization. That moment captures the cruel logic of systems designed to preserve status quo, and it’s delivered without melodrama—only the slow, methodical erosion of confidence.
Garner’s performance anchors the film. Screen time is concentrated on her face and posture—tiny gestures, strained smiles, furtive glances—so that the audience experiences psychological weariness in real time. She conveys the conflicting instincts of someone who wants to be principled but who is also keenly aware of how precarious her position is. Jane’s decency and conscientiousness, ironically, are what make her vulnerable: those traits are exploited by colleagues and superiors who expect her compliance.
Technically, Green uses a restrained visual language that emphasizes monotony and surveillance. Long takes, tight framing, and an observational camera create a sense of claustrophobia; the office becomes an arena where power is exercised through omission, interruption, and micro-aggressions rather than through forceful confrontation. The film’s pacing replicates the slow grind of administrative work, underscoring how systemic abuse is sustained by routine and silence.
While the film does not aim to be an exposé of any single real-world case, it resonates strongly with broader conversations about workplace harassment, accountability, and the structures that protect powerful men. It is a necessary and timely work that foregrounds the people who are usually invisible in headlines—the assistants, coordinators, and junior staff who often bear the first and most persistent brunt of institutional misconduct.
The Assistant is a restrained but powerful piece of filmmaking: subtle in its methods, inexorable in its judgment. It asks the viewer to recognize the cumulative harm of small indignities and to consider how systems and everyday practices enable far larger injustices. For anyone interested in films that handle social issues with nuance and moral clarity, this one is essential viewing.
24/24