Women Talking tells an important and powerful story through some truly incredible performances, however it can’t help but feel monotonous at times.
Women Talking is a movie that is meant to also get a lot of people talking. It focuses heavily on something similar to the Me Too movement as it dives into the after effects of sexual assault. Based on the book by the same name, Director Sarah Polley delivers an important and powerful film filled with incredible performances from the entire cast. While it is intense and suspenseful at times, it cannot help but feel a bit too monotonous at times.
It is easy to see where the title came from because for the majority of the film it is quite literally just women talking. Still, there is an underlying meaning of the words that will get people thinking about the way that women must talk about this assaults in order to break the cycle and prevent them from happening. The title can be taken literally, but also figuratively.
For one hour and forty-five minutes discussions are being had by a collection of women in a Mennonite community about the sexual assaults by the men. They are deliberating on if they should stay and put up with this abuse, or leave the only life they have ever known behind them. They know that things will not change if they stay behind, and they wish to protect the younger females in the community from continuing the cycle.
August, whose family was once expelled from the community due to his own mother speaking up against these actions, plays the role of the school teacher. He is there to teach the boys of the community, because of course the girls are not allowed to be educated. He has feeling for a childhood friend, Ona, and agrees to help during the meetings. He is to be quiet and not give his own input, but he will take notes for the women to help in their secret discussion.
Each and every performance in this film is a powerful one. The women are incredibly talented and do great justice to the important topics that are being addressed throughout the film. At times they are rational, at others they act on emotions, which is extremely believable given the circumstances. Claire Foy, Rooeny Mara, and Jessie Buckley have great on screen chemistry together, and Ben Whishaw, who plays August, brings an interesting element as well.
Francis McDormand’s Scarface Janz has a bit of a different role to play in the film, and in an effort to remain spoiler free we will not dive into it too much. However she represents the women who are willing to conform to assault, as they would rather keep their mouths shut and take it rather than stir the pot.
With all of the talking, the pace slows down quite a bit at times. What we mean to say is that it gets repetitive, even when new pros and cons are raised as talking points. There are not a lot of sets, and while it doesn’t only take place in the barn, that spot in particular is melancholy in tones and textures, adding a dreary feel to it all. Clearly this movie should not be bright and cheerful, but staying in this heavy mindset as talking points are hashed out and then re-hashed out, gets monotonous and slow.
Women Talking showcases trauma, abuse, faith, love, and friendship. It delves into some truly heavy topics and proves the importance of standing up for yourself, for others, and for what is right. It isn’t perfect but it is something that will stick with viewers for a long time thanks to some powerful performances. Unfortunately the topics discussed are still very relevant in the world today, which is truly heartbreaking.
Rating: 3.5 out of 5
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About Women Talking
Based on the best-selling novel by Miriam Toews, Women Talking follows a group of women in an isolated religious colony as they struggle to reconcile their faith with a series of sexual assaults committed by the colony’s men.
