Watch The Assistant (2019) Online Free Movie Streaming
- Title: The Assistant
- Year: 2019
- Duration: 1h 27m
- Rating: 6.2
- Genres: Drama
Summary The Assistant (2019)
A searing look at a day in the life of an assistant to a powerful executive. As Jane follows her daily routine, she grows increasingly aware of the insidious abuse that threatens every aspect of her position.
Follows one day in the life of Jane (Julia Garner), a recent college graduate and aspiring film producer, who has recently landed her dream job as a junior assistant to a powerful entertainment mogul. Her day is much like any other assistant's - making coffee, changing the paper in the copy machine, ordering lunch, arranging travel, taking phone messages, onboarding a new hire. But as Jane follows her daily routine, she, and we, grow increasingly aware of the abuse that insidiously colors every aspect of her work day, an accumulation of degradations against which Jane decides to take a stand, only to discover the true depth of the system into which she has entered.
Synopsis The Assistant (2019)
The film takes place over the course of a single day in the life of Jane (Julia Garner), a junior production assistant who has been working for a film production company in New York City for only five weeks. Jane arrives at work in winter darkness. She goes through her daily routine, performing various duties, getting the office ready for the day ahead. Her tasks are many, turning on lights, feeding the photocopier, cleaning up after staff members, it shows her low status in the office hierarchy.As Jane's day progresses, she talks to her mother over the phone, being reminded that it's her father's birthday. More menial tasks ensue, she sweeps the residue of crushed pills from the boss's desk blotter, and other detritus, into the waste paper basket. She scrubs at a couch stain, is it signs of sexual activity? Back behind her desk she overhears her fellow office co-workers making snide remarks about the boss's conquests. While washing coffee cups two employees discuss the possibility of transferring to other departments.
Throughout the day, a variety of people interact with Jane, including the boss's wife, his children's nanny, a famous actor (Patrick Wilson), and a small group of disgruntled foreign film producers. Whenever Jane does something her boss deems a mistake, he verbally abuses her over the phone as her fellow junior production assistants (Noah Robbins and Jon Orsini) watch on silently, having themselves felt the sting of their boss's abusive management style.
In the afternoon, an attractive woman named Sienna (Kristine Froseth) arrives from Idaho, saying she has been offered a job as a junior assistant. Jane is concerned for Sienna's well-being, having dropped her off at a five-star hotel, is this being paid for by the company? Jane decides to share her concerns with Human Resources wanting to file a report. Wilcock (Matthew Macfadyen), the head of HR, encourages Jane to share her real concerns. After listening to Jane, he questions her, making it clear that her accusations don't hold water and her "concern" regarding a grown woman's choices is not her business. He points out that these kinds of accusations will not help her career. He asks Jane if she wants to proceed with the complaint, she declines, Wilcock balls up the notes he was taking and throws it into the bin. As she leaves, Wilcock tells her she has nothing to worry about, as Jane is not the boss's "type", further reinforcing her initial thoughts. Upset, Jane returns to her desk, immediately getting a call from the boss, giving her a dressing down, having gotten wind of the accusation. He demands Jane write an email of apology, and send it to him. He responds to the email, telling her he is especially hard on her because he knows how great she is and wants to help her in her career, further describing the power imbalance.
Towards the end of the day, Sienna arrives at the office so Jane can teach her how to use the phone system, she clearly has no clue, why was she hired? Jane sees Sienna is leafing through some office manuals, and tells her she can leave, and that she'll see her tomorrow. As night falls, Jane prepares a microwave dinner for herself in the break room while other employees leave; her boss stays late in his office with an actress Jane interacted with earlier in reception. He calls Jane and tells her she can leave for the night.
Jane goes to a coffee shop across the street and calls her father to wish him a happy birthday, while she absentmindedly picks at a muffin. The father asks her if she is okay and she replies that she is "okay". Jane finishes her call, looking out from the cafe window, the camera shows a window, her boss's office window, shadows moving behind venetian blinds suggesting sexual activity.
From a distance we watch Jane's back, as she walks home down a wintry lit street, making her look small.