'What She Said' is a drama centering around Sam - a woman who has suffered rape and has to deal with the emotional and psychological ramifications of that event. As she tries to seclude herself away at the family holiday cabin, her brother Eli has planned to gather their close friends to have a discussion with Sam about her having dropped the charges against her rapist.
The film follows Sam, a PHD student, as she goes about her day at the family holiday cabin, until her brother Eli bursts through the door and invites himself to stay the night, convincing Sam he is to leave the following day. In the morning Sam opens her bedroom door to a room full of people - her brother, sister and closest friends, - all gathered there to host a pseudo-intervention about Sam having dropped the charges against her rapist. Later Ruthy, Sam's room-mate, shows up as they had planned to avoid Thanksgiving together, and subsequently stays to support Sam. As the day progresses, the group of friends engage in discussion about how and what Sam should do regarding her trial. Unbeknownst to them Sam's case has been postponed rather than closed, and she spends the day rebuffing her peers suggestions towards her situation.
Throughout the day the character dynamics are revealed as the group of friends decide to host Thanksgiving and engage in a myriad of holiday traditions. As Sam's ex-best friend Harper and Meghan go grocery shopping, the two discuss the situation, and it is revealed that the rape occurred a year ago at Meghan and Aaron's engagement party at their favourite old college bar. The two speak on how the experience has changed them, as Meghan has stopped drinking entirely after what happened. The two also happen upon Eli's notebook, where he has detailed the rapists daily schedule and apparently tracked the rest of his family member's activities.
Back at the cabin, as the group go about roasting marshmallows and playing games, tension builds as everybody tries to impose their views on Sam. She is also disheartened by the fact that Eli had invited her boyfriend to the cabin without telling her and further driven away from the group by their incessant pleas to confront and engage in a conversation about what had happened. As Sam is driven to a breaking point she walks into town to a local bar and has a candid discussion about her situation with the bartender. After gaining some insight, Sam returns to the cabin having realised that she has good friends that want to do their best and be there for Sam as best they can.
The film then reverts to Sam's hearing where she reads a prepared statement aimed at the perpetrator, delivering a deep insight into her emotions surrounding the incident, revealing how the rape has robbed her of any sense of self, has made her hate her body and how she ultimately wants for it all to be over, as she feels the entire ordeal and the trial is robbing her of her time and further harming her by incessantly reminding her of what she has been through. The film concludes by Sam returning to the cabin as she tries to finalise her dissertation in peace and quiet.
'What She Said' is an insightful film that covers the devastating and damaging effects of rape. As we are introduced to Sam, it is clear on the outset that she is attempting to hide away, seclude herself and has resorted to self-medicating by way of drinking. However, her plans are thwarted as Eli shows up and obviously disrupts what Sam had presumed would be a quiet and routine-like getaway for her. The following morning she is met with facing a now gathered group of family and close friends that want to spend the holidays with her, yet she meets this revelation with an understandable reservation and resistance as she does not want to hash out her experience. The crux of the film is revealed here, during the first act, as Sam expresses that she does not want the experience to be discussed 'ad nauseam' - a sentiment highlighted again at the conclusion of the feature. By expressing that going over the issues has continuously deprived her of being able to focus on anything else truly illustrates the perpetual heartache the incident has caused her and how she feels trapped by being unable to move on. As her hearing keeps getting postponed, the incident plays a big part in preventing Sam from moving on. The conclusion of the film provides for the start of Sam's healing process, as the trial marks the start of her moving on, as she will no longer have to dread the anticipation of an impending trial date.
On multiple occasions the film highlights instances of where the group of friends discuss Sam's situation without her, with the film pointing to the absurdity of other people making decisions for the person who is tied up in the situation. As the film moves along, this happens a few times with varying degrees of poignancy as eventually Sam manages to set forth a convincing tirade as to why the others should allow her to deal with what she feels and wants to do on her own.
The film is written by and stars Jenny Lester whose portrayal of Sam rings true to an individual irreparably impacted by a tragic crime. Lester's portrayal evokes empathy but at times also manages to incite dislike towards the character, as Sam is unwilling to get involved in any type of discussion with her close friends as to what her options are. Understandably the decisions as to how Sam should proceed should be entirely her own and the resistance is understandable, as the character has retreated inwards and has put up walls to protect herself. Ultimately Sam's closing speech puts words to how we have seen Sam act and explains the reasoning behind it. Lester has done an exceptional job of putting a tragic experience and the outfall of it to film and allows the viewing audience to connect to a deeply hurt and lost character that eventually finds a way to move forward with the help and support of her family and friends.
Score: 3/4
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