The Assistant
A junior film-office assistant confronts the pervasive abuse and institutional complicity hidden inside her supposedly ideal first job.
Ember's analysis
- Pacing
- Measured
- Intensity
- Strong
- Complexity
- Layered
- Violence
- None
- claustrophobic
- intimate
- quietly devastating
- focused solitary viewing
- social justice film discussion
What critics said
Critics broadly praised the film as a rigorously controlled and deeply unsettling critique of workplace harassment and systemic oppression, anchored by Julia Garner’s performance.
What sets it apart
May contain story progression spoilers
Jane’s coffee runs, paperwork, phone messages, travel arrangements, and office errands gradually reveal the surrounding abuse.
Jane encounters normalized misconduct, enabling coworkers, and institutional mechanisms that protect the powerful executive.
The film confines Jane to a Manhattan entertainment office where opaque routines and hierarchical authority dominate her day.
The powerful entertainment mogul is primarily experienced through calls, instructions, rumors, and the behavior of those around him.
Films like The Assistant, and why
North Country
shared restrained workplace drama, institutional sexism, and quietly escalating psychological tension
Certain Women
shared intimate social realism, female subjectivity, and oppressive institutional power
The Nightingale
shared claustrophobic atmosphere, understated emotional violence, and systems that normalize abuse
Bombshell
shared contemporary feminist drama, controlled pacing, and scrutiny of normalized harassment
Movie Details
- Director
- Kitty Green
- Release Date
- 2020-01-31
- Runtime
- 88 min
- Rating
- 6.3 / 10 (552)
Cast
- Julia Garner
- Matthew Macfadyen
- Makenzie Leigh
- Kristine Froseth
- Jonny Orsini
- Noah Robbins
- Alexander Chaplin
- Jay O. Sanders
- Juliana Canfield
- Dagmara Dominczyk
Where to watch in United States
- Streaming
- Hulu, Netflix, Netflix Standard with Ads
- Rent
- Amazon Video, Apple TV Store, Google Play Movies, YouTube, Fandango At Home
- Buy
- Amazon Video, Apple TV Store, Google Play Movies, YouTube, Fandango At Home
Streaming options come from TMDB and change over time.
Common questions
- What is The Assistant about?
- A junior film-office assistant confronts the pervasive abuse and institutional complicity hidden inside her supposedly ideal first job.
- What is The Assistant like to watch?
- Ember's analysis rates the pacing of The Assistant as measured, its intensity as strong and its storytelling as layered.
- Is The Assistant violent?
- No — Ember's analysis finds no violence in The Assistant.
- What did critics think of The Assistant?
- Critics broadly praised the film as a rigorously controlled and deeply unsettling critique of workplace harassment and systemic oppression, anchored by Julia Garner’s performance.
- Which films are like The Assistant?
- Films with a similar feel include North Country, Certain Women, The Nightingale, and Bombshell.
- How long is The Assistant?
- The Assistant runs 88 minutes.
- Where can I watch The Assistant?
- In United States, The Assistant streams on Hulu, Netflix, Netflix Standard with Ads.
