German political scientist Elisabeth Noelle-Neumann, in her theory of the Spiral of Silence, which he exhibited in ‘The Spiral of Silence. Public Opinion: Our Social Skin’, published in 1977, reads as follows: “If there is a divergence in assessing the strength of a particular point of view in the present and in the future, it is the expectation of the future position which determines the degree to which the individual is willing to expose himself. This is produced by the hypothesis that the cause of the different degrees of will is the person’s fear that his isolation and self-esteem are shaken if his point of view is not confirmed by the majority or by the majority.. If you convince yourself that trends are moving in your direction, the risk of isolation has little consequence.”.
the German director Maria Schrader has been preparing thoroughly for her leap to Hollywood. With experiences both in biopics, as in the case of the wonderful ‘Stefan Zweig – Farewell to Europe’; as for the author titles, with the stupendous and innovative ‘The perfect man’; this time, the director dares to direct the film version of what was the most relevant report in journalism today, the one published by Jodi Kantor, Megan Twohey and Rebecca Corbett in the New York Times in October 2017, with which they discovered the sexual abuse perpetrated by Harvey Weinstein, the famous movie mogul. An investigation that launched the Me Too movement.
‘Uncovered’, whose original title refers to the expression relating to citations from a source [“ella dijo”]I had an important challenge: to reflect the value of journalism in the 21st century. Despite having the spirit of magnificent recent titles such as ‘Spotlight’ or ‘The Pentagon Archives’, both feature films staged a way of understanding the communication society in very different ways, to the point of serving more as historical portraits of what it was how journalism was in the early 2000s and how it worked in the Nixon era, respectively. dadaist The irruption of digital printing, as well as social networks, have completely transformed the way of approaching public opinion.none of them reflect the current values of the press or the challenges it faces.
On the contrary, ‘Discovered’ does so, putting a journalistic investigation carried out in 2017 at the forefrontfive years ago, enough time to see the case with a certain perspective, without having lost an iota of topicality – indeed, it gained it after the recent Los Angeles ruling in which Harvey Weinstein was found guilty of rape, forced oral copulation and another count of sexual misconduct. A sentence that adds to the one already issued in New York-; as well as capturing the current reality of the journalistic investigation, with social networks present.
A film that reclaims journalistic work in the digital age
Therefore the feature film has that sense of historical significance that he conveys so well. Directing from a screenplay written by Rebecca Lenkiewicz, Schrader opts for an understated tone that emphasizes investigative journalism, letting victims’ statements be portrayed as narratives, avoiding falling into senseless sensationalism, focusing exclusively on the work of the two reporters who investigated the facts and how they managed to access documentation, statements and files that led them to confront an institution whose head was able to create a network of silence that also reflects a judicial modus operandi which, in terms of US justice, it protects the abuser from a victim who is powerless by law.
The film places particular emphasis on the famous out-of-court settlements, leaving a sneaky critique of how they only favor law firms, who take their commission and thus avoid getting into a lawsuit where there is a clear winner and loser. Precisely this procedure has created a sort of judicial omertà, in which you buy the silence of the victim, both in serious cases such as sexual harassment or rape and in others of a different nature.
Secondly, Schrader has been able to calibrate the dramatic doses by focusing on research. Given the topicality of the subject and the fact that it is painful enough to explicitly delve into what happened, the director and screenwriter choose Weinstein references to be as elliptical as possible. Of course, as soon as he appears or is only heard, it doesn’t mean that his presence is not felt. It’s more, it would seem that the tape has an atmosphere that gradually becomes suffocatingas the two protagonists are getting ever closer to the truth, which implies that the pressures and threats are greater.
Precisely by focusing on the weaknesses of justice and on how it has created networks of impunity, the film manages to be an extraordinary journalistic drama, which knows how to expose the importance of investigative journalism in the 21st century and how it is essential to maintain the values of information sciences at a time when degrees that provoke visits and immediacy are required.
A headline of rabid topicality
Faced with these problems, ‘Al descubierto’ exposes the importance of discovering the truth, of investigating, asking questions, checking sources, walking down the street. Actions that seemed to have remained in the background in the midst of the digital age and which claim their importance here. Added to this is a certain veiled criticism on how his report, longer to prepare, had to deal with the shadow of the article published by Ronan Farrow in the New Yorker, which enjoyed greater popularity, given its aura of showmanship.
Niklas Luhmann, famous for systems theory, has already said it: “What we know about the world is what we know from the mass media”. And there Schrader stands out in his work of to bring to the fore those two women who worked on a comprehensive report that won the Pulitzer Prize in their own right, Megan Twohey and Jodi Kantor. Against narcissism, teamwork and professional ethics. Furthermore, the film is able to give both a personal background which also affects the importance of work-life balance, given that they are also mothers and have romantic partners.
Even if ‘Al descubierto’ has a choral spirit. In the end, is a duo acting work, in the purest style of ‘Todos los hombres del Presidente’. Carey Mulligan and Zoe Kazan become contemporaries Robert Redford and Dustin Hoffman. Both splendidly defend their role as truth-seeking reporters, with the addition of a female perspective, recalling that in these crimes there is a clear system of sexist violence. From this point of view, it could well be said that the film is more related to Alan J. Pakula’s masterpiece, released in 1976, just two years after Nixon’s resignation as president of the United States, than to current titles.
‘Uncovered’ is the feature film that knows how to give Me Too its place and which avoids any sensationalism. His sober and serious style conveys a serenity that reminds us of the importance of seeing the facts as they are denounced, leaving aside any hint of a political gaze in the face of a transversal denunciation. Marshall McLuhan has already expressed it, who coined the term ‘global village’: “A point of view can be a dangerous luxury when it replaces intelligence and understanding”. ‘Discovered’ it is an exercise, in fact, of sagacity and understanding, one of the best journalistic dramas of recent times and an essential title of social denunciation. No doubt they said.
Note: 9
The best: The care that is taken to know how to convey the importance of journalistic investigation today.
Worse: Reject the film due to prejudice.
Source: E Cartelera
Bernice Bonaparte is an author and entertainment journalist who writes for The Fashion Vibes. With a passion for pop culture and a talent for staying up-to-date on the latest entertainment news, Bernice has become a trusted source for information on the entertainment industry.