The Assistant by Kitty Green follows the daily work routine of Jane, who is interning for a successful executive producer in New York City. This film employs a simple approach, through the minimal use of dialogue and the overwhelming presence of ordinary content, to build a connection with the viewer out of common work experience. Consequently, the director must rely upon work form to expose the psychological alienation that lies in plain sight. By inserting a range of camera angles the director is able to control the viewer’s examination of the office space to capture the impact it has on the character’s well-being. Therefore, the strategic implementation of camera angles throughout the film exposes personal and societal attitudes pertaining …show more content…
By interweaving the use of eye level and close-up shots, the viewer is able to partake in two different outlooks within seconds of one another. For instance, when Jane “fails” her boss the viewer is immersed in the sympathetic position (00:07:15). This shot strives to create an intimate moment between the audience and character, by zooming in to capture every detail of Jane’s hand and eye movement that reveals her emotional disconnect due to her hostile treatment at work (00:17:30). Nonetheless, seconds later the viewer is forced into the passive position. Having her co-worker help construct an apology letter, in regards to her failure, and then immediately walk away while stating “You okay,” displays his decision to disregard Jane’s emotional distress (00:18:33). Hence, this character symbolizes society’s ability to overlook the impact of psychological alienation experienced by workers in the office space. And when this is differentiated with close-up shots the viewer is left with the decision to either abide by society’s approach or reject it. This dilemma is further challenged in the increasing presence of unforgivable scenes, such as when HR dismisses Jane’s concerns and a close-up shot of a tear rolling down Jane’s cheek is captured (00:55:15). Ultimately, by using close-up shots the director compels the viewer to become aware of the suffering that comes from psychological alienation in the workplace that is consistently