Honeypot, written and directed by Jill Greenberg, shows just how awful Harvey Weinstein truly is. Only 7 minutes long, the short film provides a reenactment of what it may have felt like to be a young woman auditioning for a Weinstein film.
It stars only three characters, “Harvey,” his female assistant, and an unnamed, unknown actress auditioning for a role. Through the majority of the film, the audience watches in horror as a back and forth takes place between Harvey and the young actress, who pleads with him, asking to leave his hotel room as he tries to pressure her into a massage and tandem shower. Shot only 15 days after the Weinstein story broke, the encounter between the Harvey character in the film and the unknown actress mimic the actual audiotape of Harvey Weinstein that was obtained by the NYPD in a sting operation with Ambra Gutierrez in 2015.
Although revelations and allegations continued to pour out during and after production, Honeypot doesn’t lack for anything. Inspired by the audiofiles, Greenberg unnervingly executes the danger, discomfort, and anxiety young women must have felt when trapped in a room with the real Harvey Weinstein. Moreover, Greenberg multiplies Weinstein’s villainy through the titular character, Harvey’s assistant ( the “honeypot”), who sets up auditions for Harvey and offers consolation prizes to the victims, fully aware of his predatory behavior. Through this added character, Greenberg draws attention to those who have been complicit in perpetuating and covering up Weinsteins actions throughout the decades.
Honeypot reminds us that while Weinstein is a singular predator, there are many more to blame. As more and more men are being called out for sexual misconduct, Honeypot asks us to go deeper, to recognize the wrongdoing of the institution as well as of the individual. Definitely a must-see, you can watch it below.
Top photo courtesy Jill Greenberg Studio
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