Women Talking Review

Women Talking is a drama based on a novel by Miriam Toews which was inspired by true events in Bolivia.

In an isolated Mennonite colony the girls and women have been the victims of systematic abuse. They have been drugged and raped when they were unconscious. When the perpetrators are arrested the colony elders plan to bail them. The women in the colony must make a choice, forgive the men, stay and fight, or leave the colony.

Women Talking was a film that lived up to its title: it was a two-day meeting where the leading women of the community debate what they should do. Most of the film takes place in a barn. It felt like it was adapted from a play and because of the restrictive setting it reminded me of The Whale. Director Sarah Polley did try to bring some visual flair through the monochrome cinematography and camera movements, like when a young character jumped out of a barn.

Women Talking did have a shocking opening where a woman woke up bleeding with bruises on her legs. It said everything about what was going on in a few seconds. The film made a point that the colony was far away from the rest of the society. It took several days for the elders to go to the nearest town and whilst Women’s Talking was set in 2010, the people looked like they were living in the early 20^th century. The women pointed out that they don’t know the world beyond the colony, and they haven’t seen a map of the outside world. If the women leave the colony they would be going into the unknown.

Women Talking was focused on its themes and debates. It was another film influenced by the #MeToo movement like She Said and Bombshell. In Women Talking’s case it was about the aftermath of the attacks instead of the abuse itself or exposing the people committing the acts. It was a story about the women taking back control of their destiny after generations of abuse. There were long discussions about the cycle of violence, the patriarchy and religious power structures. They talk about issues like the boys in the colony learning how to abuse girls and women, and the women were deliberately kept ignorant and not given an education. However, the women were shown to be capable of having a complex debate.

Women Talking did attract an impressive cast. The film had the likes of Rooney Mara, Claire Foy, and Jessie Buckley and the whole cast did give excellent performances. The actors were drawn to the material because of the message and the subject manner and the rich characters. Foy’s Salome was shown to be a woman baying for blood and wanting to fight when the men came back, and she clashed with Mariche (Buckley) who thought fighting back would be pointless. Mara’s Ona was a calmer presence, even though she was pregnant because of rape, and she had a spark with August (Ben Whishaw), the colony’s teacher and the meeting’s minute taker.

Despite the heavy subject matter of Women Talking, the film did manage to have some moments of humour and levity. The women were still able to joke and laugh even after the suffering they have had and the urgency of their debate. It made the character feel a little more human and not just talking about different viewpoints.

There was no doubting Women Talking’s message and subject matter, and the actors and filmmaker did give it their all. However, the presentation made Women Talking more fitting for the stage rather than the screen.