Written for the Screen & Directed By Sarah Polley; Starring Rooney Mara, Claire Foy, Jessie Buckley, Judith Ivey, Sheila McCarthy, Michelle McLeod, Liv McNeil, Kate Hallett, August Winter, Ben Whishaw, and Frances McDormand.
Based on Miriam Toews’s 2018 novel of the same name, Women Talking is set inside a remote Mennonite colony in 2010. Mothers, daughters, wives, and sisters of the community are coming to terms with the realization that they’ve all been subjected to sexual assault by the men there. The attackers have managed to cover their crimes with the use of tranquilizers and lies. Though when one man gets caught, it disrupts the vicious system, which has paused local activities, offering the women two days to decide if they want to forgive men or leave the colony for good. When a vote proves to be indecisive, a few women discuss the situation in a barn. Among them are Agata (Judith Ivey), Salome (Claire Foy), Mariche (Jessie Buckley), Greta (Sheila McCarthy), and Ona (Rooney Mara), who is currently pregnant with her rapist’s child.
Sarah Polley has crafted such a haunting film that explores very important subject matter. Just when you expect a story to basically feature a bunch of “women talking” for 90 minutes, there’s more than that. Sometimes, she cuts to visuals of what the characters are talking about. Speaking of which, I’d like to give a thumbs up to the editing by Christopher Donaldson & Roslyn Kalloo for not only keeping everything well paced, but also in such a tight run time. A number of people have complained about Luc Montpellier’s cinematography, but it didn’t bother me at all. I think the overall look of the film perfectly matches the melancholy tone of the story.
The whole cast provides what has to be the best ensemble work I’ve seen in any movie released in 2022. Everyone gives very lived in performances and also has their own standout moments individually. Jessie Buckley and Claire Foy especially both deliver some strong line deliveries at different points as well as few heartbreakers. Very emotionally effective work from Ben Whishaw, who also shares some heartfelt moments with Rooney Mara. Judith Ivey and Frances McDormand also both give memorable appearances in smaller roles.
Women Talking is definitely not for casual viewing. The tone is not only melancholy (as I mentioned), but also fittingly enough, quiet. It’ll certainly demand your attention from beginning to end. Although for me, the film really became more emotionally impactful as it went on. By the time it was over, I felt the whole experience was worth it. I think this movie absolutely needs to be seen.
Rating: 4.5/5
Based on Miriam Toews’s 2018 novel of the same name, Women Talking is set inside a remote Mennonite colony in 2010. Mothers, daughters, wives, and sisters of the community are coming to terms with the realization that they’ve all been subjected to sexual assault by the men there. The attackers have managed to cover their crimes with the use of tranquilizers and lies. Though when one man gets caught, it disrupts the vicious system, which has paused local activities, offering the women two days to decide if they want to forgive men or leave the colony for good. When a vote proves to be indecisive, a few women discuss the situation in a barn. Among them are Agata (Judith Ivey), Salome (Claire Foy), Mariche (Jessie Buckley), Greta (Sheila McCarthy), and Ona (Rooney Mara), who is currently pregnant with her rapist’s child.
Sarah Polley has crafted such a haunting film that explores very important subject matter. Just when you expect a story to basically feature a bunch of “women talking” for 90 minutes, there’s more than that. Sometimes, she cuts to visuals of what the characters are talking about. Speaking of which, I’d like to give a thumbs up to the editing by Christopher Donaldson & Roslyn Kalloo for not only keeping everything well paced, but also in such a tight run time. A number of people have complained about Luc Montpellier’s cinematography, but it didn’t bother me at all. I think the overall look of the film perfectly matches the melancholy tone of the story.
The whole cast provides what has to be the best ensemble work I’ve seen in any movie released in 2022. Everyone gives very lived in performances and also has their own standout moments individually. Jessie Buckley and Claire Foy especially both deliver some strong line deliveries at different points as well as few heartbreakers. Very emotionally effective work from Ben Whishaw, who also shares some heartfelt moments with Rooney Mara. Judith Ivey and Frances McDormand also both give memorable appearances in smaller roles.
Women Talking is definitely not for casual viewing. The tone is not only melancholy (as I mentioned), but also fittingly enough, quiet. It’ll certainly demand your attention from beginning to end. Although for me, the film really became more emotionally impactful as it went on. By the time it was over, I felt the whole experience was worth it. I think this movie absolutely needs to be seen.
Rating: 4.5/5