Although I love movies based on true stories, especially those as impactful as the one in “She Said,” I was skeptical at how quickly the movie was produced. After all, the Weinstein scandal didn’t happen very long ago. While walking into the theater, I wondered if the movie I was about to see was going to be just another mediocre installment of the media-to-movie pipeline. 

Although the story is powerful, “She Said” doesn’t add much to what is already known about the Weinstein scandal. Reenacted recordings of Weinstein and testimonials of the real victims help bring the story to life. However, there’s not enough grime to make the story as impactful as it truly was.

What truly makes “She Said” are Carey Mulligan and Zoe Kazan’s performances. Mulligan, who is no stranger to playing elaborate female characters, takes on the role of The New York Times reporter Megan Twohey. In the movie, Twohey is initially investigating Donald Trump’s sexual harassment allegations amid his 2016 presidential campaign.

After taking maternity leave, Megan joins fellow reporter Jodi Kantor (Zoe Kazan), in investigating recent allegations of sexual harassment against powerful movie producer Harvey Weinstein. These claims come from actresses Rose McGowan and Ashely Judd, who plays herself in the movie. The allegations lead to a growing investigation with victims’ upsetting accounts of Weinstein’s sexual abuse.

With Twohey having a dominant personality while Kantor is more gentle, the two leads compliment each other well. Twohey’s height becomes somewhat of a running joke in the movie as it makes her appear more intimidating than Kantor. Both women are wives and mothers and their time at home takes up a portion of the movie. This highlights their dedication to exposing Weinstein even when they’re outside of the office. 

“She Said” effectively balances the story of the investigation and the stories of the victims. Rather than focusing solely on the reporters, the film gives a voice to the women affected by Weinstein’s hideous acts. With superb casting of actors who resemble their real-life counterparts, the movie successfully retells one of Hollywood’s biggest scandals.  

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A collaboration between the Englert Theater and Little Village Magazine, Witching Hour “welcomes artists and thinkers to push the boundaries of their respected crafts.” With classical music traditionally being a sit-and-listen type of performance, Chromic Duo provided a refreshing take by centering their performance around audience interaction. 

The duo’s staple toy pianos and audio mixers sat onstage as audience members trickled in before the show. Accompanying the instruments was a poster board with the question “What identity do you hold?” Post-It notes and golf pencils were passed out to audience members to write down their answers. 

Known for their playful performances and inspired by self-discovery, Chromic Duo played compositions of nostalgic sounds. The music encouraged listeners to either escape or embrace their identities. 

The first composition resembled a song chosen for a film’s ending sequence. Music swelled in crescendos of hopefulness, adding clarity to uncertainty. The hazy pink stage lighting incorporated with the uplifting soundscape transported me to a state of ease, reminding me of the carefree child that I once was. And that’s what was so compelling about Chromic Duo’s show— you got to decide the story that fit the composition and let it take you closer or further away from your identity. 

After two more compositions, Chromic Duo performed “Homecoming,” their fourth and final piece of the night. Inspired by their Asian-American identities, the piece delved into the violence towards Asian-Americans amid the 2020 pandemic. The piece included snippets of spoken interviews and poems, along with an augmented reality experience.

Audience members scanned a QR code at the beginning of the show, leading them to a scenery of floating lanterns. Although each person in the audience had their own interpretation of the performance, we were all brought back together through the shared AR experience. 

Chromic Duo’s performance was a one-of-a-kind experience that allowed audience members to experience a new form of classical music performance— something we don’t get that often. 

Follow Chromic Duo on their musical journey via their instagram, @chromic_duo.

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Chromic Duo is made up of Asian-American composers Dorothy Chan and Lucy Yao. The two artists are third-culture-kids and create sounds that describe the road to self-discovery. In their bio, the phrase “inspired by the small wonders of the everyday” encapsulates their inspiration for the music-making process.

In an interview with Little Village Magazine, Yao stated “A toy piano… might be something that you think is just for a kid to learn. But then when you start to look a little bit deeper, you notice that the toy piano actually has this beautiful character and all these different toy pianos are characters in themselves.” A sense of playfulness is at the heart of Chromic Duo’s pursuit to connect with those trying to find a sense of belonging.

Chromic Duo is no stranger to new modes of storytelling and delightfully integrate sound and visuals in their 2020 YouTube video entitled “Chromic Nightbloom.” The piece demonstrates multidimensional art and music production. Live generated visuals of pastel skies move cautiously along with the melancholic plucking of piano strings. Then, the mood changes to a more lighthearted composition and transports you to a tranquil dimension. Chromic Duo’s ability to reimagine everyday musical instruments will have you smiling and reminiscing on childhood curiosity and creativity.

The musical duo will bring their soundscapes to the Englert Theatre’s annual Witching Hour festival. Chromic Duo performs at the James Theater in Iowa City on October 21st at 7:30 P.M.

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