Women Talking (2022) User Reviews (195)

finding a voice

[ferguson-6 · 8/10 · 12 January 2023]

Greetings again from the darkness. Do nothing. Stay and fight. Leave. Those are the three options a group of women debate in the loft of a barn on the edge of their religious commune. The true story that inspired Miriam Toews to write her 2018 novel is horrific. Between 2005 and 2009, there were more than 150 cases of females being drugged (with livestock tranquilizers) and violently raped. They ranged in age from three to sixty-five, and this occurred in a deeply religious Mennonite community in Bolivia. The great writer-director Sarah Polley has adapted Ms. Toews' novel for her first feature since STORIES WE TELL (2012), and we welcome her back as a voice always deserving of a platform.

When two girls spot a rapist running away one evening, an emotional fire is lit. The man is charged, and this leads the women to organize their own meeting to discuss the three options noted above. Rooney Mara plays Ona, the good-hearted optimist. Claire Foy plays her sister Salome who spends much time in rage mode. Jessie Buckley is Mariche, the often brutally abused woman who has her own strong ideas. If you are a movie lover, you immediately recognize that these three are among the best young actresses working today. What a pleasure to watch them do what they do ... despite the material often being extremely uncomfortable and stress-inducing. This new generation of community women are joined in debate by the elders: Agata (Judith Ivey) and Greta (Sheila McCarthy), who both carry the burden of shame having raised their daughters in this environment. Scarface Janz (Oscar winner Frances McDormand, also a producer on the film) only has a couple of scenes, as she is stays strong in her "do nothing" stance.

As the dialogue continues in the loft, we learn much about what these women, as well as the generations before them, have endured. Over the years, whenever victims have spoken up about the horrible abuses, their accusations have been dismissed as "wild female imagination." The religious patriarchy has led to many years of submission and resignation to a lesser life - one that includes manual labor and a lack of education. These women cannot read or write, so they have asked August (an excellent Ben Whishaw) to take notes and list the pros and cons of the options. August is a gentle soul and the local schoolteacher who has an eye towards Ona.

Revenge, forgiveness, protecting one's self and their children is all part of the discussion, as is the difference between fleeing and leaving. These women are finding their voice through the strength of each other. Cinematographer Luc Montpellier uses mostly black and white with some subtle color gradation for effect, as well as a contrast between interior (barn loft) shots and those of the outdoor vistas and fields (representing the outside world). The score from Hildur Guonadottier is heavy on strings and works perfectly for the story, and the inclusion of "Daydream Believer" from The Monkees is a welcome inclusion.

We don't normally think of cinema as watching people sit around and talk. One of the best ever movies showing debate among adults is 12 ANGRY MEN, and this film takes a similar approach and is not far off from the level of that all-time classic. The courage of those real women from Bolivia was staggering, and Sarah Polley offers up this intellectual and thought-provoking approach to these women taking stock of their situation. It's a gut punch, yet somehow inspiring.

Opens in theaters on January 13, 2023.

When Frances McDormand left, so did my soul

[beatrice_gangi · 6/10 · 1 March 2023]

In 2010, the women of a Mennonite community must come together to make a decision following the discovery of a terrible secret of the men in their community. There are three options: do nothing, stay and fight, or leave. Great. The incipit is undoubtedly as interesting as it is a thriving ground for opening an important dialogue on concepts such as faith, misogyny, and feminism.

While it is an important film, and an important issue, I found the script to be profoundly insincere and artificial, in dialogue that is more like a skein of feminist slogans piled one after another. The way the characters express themselves, interact, and behave is mechanical and relegated to the stereotype of women they represent. To the most controversial character, McDormand's, I was sorry that, even in her being at fault, no space was left.

On a technical level there is nothing particularly significant; the coloring is interesting, if not particularly aesthetic. The performances of course were good, as the cast is mostly made up of great actresses.

Women Talking is commendable in its intended message, but otherwise it seems a wasted opportunity of cast as much as of reference material.

Captivating...

[Xstal · 8/10 · 22 February 2023]

You go to bed then wake up bruised, bloody, quite groggy and confused; you know instantly, that your body's been abused, your mind cannot conceive, all the torment and the grief, but you're not the only one, that's being used. So the women of the colony convene, to discuss the implications of what's been, carry on like there's no wrong, stay and fight which might prolong, or leave this place, put barriers between. The conversations, confrontations ebb and flow, the picture of what's taken place is shown, anguish, misery and despair, amongst a culture built on prayer, where the men have their own rules, their manifesto.

It's a wonderful piece of filmmaking that engages from the outset with great dialogue, a disturbing story, and an empowering conclusion - with outstanding performances throughout.

A Plea, A Protest & A Parable All At Once

[CinemaClown · 25 February 2023]

Powered by strong performances across the board, Women Talking follows the women of an isolated & ultraconservative community who take it upon themselves to decide the course of their future in the wake of a shattering revelation which compels them to reconcile their faith with their violent reality. Bracingly crafted & effectively told, it serves as a plea, a protest & a parable all at once.

Written & directed by Sarah Polley, the story borrows its premise from a real-life event and the film is an imagined response to it - a reaction through fiction. The disturbing truth surfaces in gut-punching ways as the women argue & discuss their next move while snippets of their past adds more weight to their collective pain, rage, fear & trauma. It does get repetitive but it also gets the point across with clarity.

The colour grading is an interesting choice, for it illustrates the bleakness of their existence in a colony ripe with unchecked male aggression but more could've been achieved with the camera. Still, what it lacks in cinematic qualities, it makes up in dramatic heft & strong emotional wallop, thanks to impressive work from the entire cast, ranging from Claire Foy's fierce rendition to Ben Whishaw's tender act, all enriching the narrative.

Overall, Women Talking is a timely, topical & thought-provoking drama that brims with hate, hurt & heartbreak in its illustration of the horrifying reality of female experience but there is also hope for a better future despite the agonising brutality of their past & present. Though there was more up for grabs which it fumbles with its very own creative choices, the commitment from the cast & searing intensity of their inputs makes it an essential viewing.

Excellent, urgent, important, unmissable

[gsygsy · 10/10 · 21 December 2022]

This film affected me powerfully. My childhood was overshadowed by a volatile father of whose potential for violence we lived in fear. He wasn't a drunk, so, compared to many who lived and live in such circumstances, I guess I got off lightly. But my mother didn't. And this is what WOMEN TALKING suddenly brought back to me. The helplessness of her situation, at a time when divorce was hard to get unless you had money, and even then carried a shroud of shame.

On the day I write this, the Taliban in Afghanistan have banned women from universities. A woman's life in that country is structurally little different from that lived by the women depicted in Sarah Polley's film. It may have a period setting, but it could be many women's lives today.

WOMEN TALKING counterpoints beautiful expanses of farmland with unspeakable cruelties. Hymns are sung to help down howls of pain. The ensemble cast, which includes a couple of stunning performances by theatre veterans Judith Ivey and Sheila McCarthy, as well as several newcomers, is superb.

Excellent, urgent, important, unmissable.

Suspend disbelief.....

[sabor43 · 7/10 · 1 March 2023]

This movie needs to be seen in the view of what domestic abuse victims suffer through in their decision process to stay, fight, or leave. Taken in that sense, the conflicts that each woman and the group experience make sense. If you expect a dramatic story within the construct (that of an ultra-conservative fundamentalist community, where the women are kept illiterate and totally subjugated to the men), well then it won't work. These women were much too intelligent to be illiterate, and the men would have been much more a factor in the outcome.

The movie is really about the heartbreaking choices abused women are faced with. Stripped out of the setting and set up, it does work. Suspend disbelief and you will be moved.

Pure Evil

[RahulM007 · 9/10 · 29 October 2022]

"We are entitled to three things. We want our children to be safe. We want to be steadfast in our faith. And we want to think."

I thought that Frances McDormand and Sarah Polley handled the subject matter interlaced with subtle humour incredibly well. Sarah Polley's direction is flawless, particularly how she manages to capture the reaction shots of the characters. The cutaways are an interesting stylistic device incorporated in the movie, which should give the audience a glimpse of what happened to the characters and showcase the severity of the situation. The story was adapted from Miriam Toews 2018 novel, which is based on the real-life events that took place in 2011. In 2011, seven men from an ultra-conservative Mennonite colony in Bolivia were convicted of drugging and serially raping over 100 women from their community. The Mennonite colony was mostly populated by the descendants of the Eastern Europeans who settled there in 1874. The film sticks to the title (literally) and mainly takes place in a single setting. It is a self-contained story that speaks volumes and sparks conversations. The audience are drawn to the characters and want them to succeed, and to emancipate themselves from a heavily male dominated society. Throughout the course of the film, the women find themselves engaged in a conversation about whether they should stay, fight, or leave. I particularly enjoyed seeing Jessie Buckley fully in her element. I wouldn't be surprised if she gets nominated for an Oscar.

Its meaningful colours, evocative mise-en-scene, beautiful cinematography, lively soundtrack, accurate costumes pertaining to the subculture, and overall mood makes "Women Talking" probably one of the most memorable cinematic experiences in my book. Hildur Guonadottir's score is phenomenal and evokes suspense and uneasiness. It also sort of has a chill-inducing effect on the spectator, whilst still being enthralled by the story. "Women Talking" may receive Oscar nominations in best production design, best original score, best screenplay, and perhaps best actress for Jessie Buckley or Claire Foy.

The film benefits from having a star-studded cast with the likes of Rooney Mara, Claire Foy, Paddington himself Ben Whishaw, Jessie Buckley, and Frances McDormand. Although Frances McDormand only had a minor role in the film, she still was busy producing it behind the cameras.

To conclude, Sarah Polley's "Women Talking" tells a story of oppression, trauma, and sexual assault. It showcases the power struggle between men and women, and how women find it difficult to emancipate themselves from men. Violence against women is still pervasive in today's society, but things are slowly improving. All the women are bound together by their traumatic experiences and try to eloquently put together their thoughts on the matter. Things start to escalate, tears are wept, words are exchanged, anecdotes are shared, and despite all that these women still have a sense of humour which is quite remarkable. All these women united to make a feminist statement and stand up to their oppressors.

Other tidbits:

*For me, the colour grading wasn't an issue, in fact it reflected on the overall mood of the film.

*I adored the song "Daydream Believer" by the Monkees, played during the second act and end credits of the film. The song added a layer of positivity to the movie.

*I was completely oblivious to the fact that Brad Pitt served as executive producer for the film.

*Underappreciated characters: Ruth and Cheryl :)

Final verdict: 9.4/10.

A powerful movie, with a great cast.

[Sleepin_Dragon · 7/10 · 15 July 2023]

A group of women from a small religious community discuss various violent acts, beatings and rape.

It is a heavy going watch, a film that manages to intrigue, sicken and inform. Some of the content, some of what you'll hear will genuinely lower your opinion on human nature, the harrowing acts some people can commit.

The best element for me, the acting, if I had to pick out a standout, I'd argue Claire Foy did a supreme job, but the likes of Ben Wishaw and Frances McDormand were excellent also.

I feel like it plays out like a stage play, I can only imagine how powerful some of the content would play out in a small, intimate theatre, one or two bits maybe get a little lost in translation onto the big screen.

I've read some very impressive reviews about this film, some people have spoken candidly about first hand experience of violence, that has clearly given them a different perspective on the film.

At times I felt a little bit like an outsider looking in, and sometimes I couldn't relate, or get into it, some of the sequences felt just a tad slow, some threads were explored but not tied up, I suppose that's just normal in such circumstances.

It's definitely a powerful time, and one that's very, very relevant in today's day and age, a time where women's rights seem to be being downplayed somewhat.

I would recommend it.

7/10.

Needs to be seen multiple times to get all the layers

[steiner-sam · 8/10 · 21 January 2023]

It's an ensemble drama set within 24 hours in 2010 in an unknown location. It follows the conversation of three generations of women discussing how to respond to the sexual abuse and rape experienced by many women in the colony over the previous years.

The conversation occurs while the colony's men are away in the city, raising bail for colony men arrested for sexual crimes. Eight women participate in most of the discussion. Two grandmother matriarchs are Agata (Judith Ivey) and Greta (Sheila McCarthy). The next generation includes Ona (Rooney Mara), an unmarried woman pregnant with a child resulting from rape. Mariche (Jessie Buckley) is married to a very abusive husband. Salome (Clare Foy) is Ona's younger married sister who is very angry over the abuse of her young daughter. Some girls from the next generation provide comments and some narration to the film. Scarface Janz (Frances McDormand), another matriarch, leaves the discussion early. Since the women are illiterate (only boys go to school), they ask the schoolteacher, August (Ben Whishaw), to record their discussion. August, who had left the colony with his mother, was university-educated but was allowed to return to teach school.

The film shows no sexual violence but does show some results of the violence. The only adult male face seen throughout is that of August. The women discuss three options: staying and forgiving the perpetrators, staying and fighting the perpetrators, or leaving with all the children under a certain age. They must make a quick decision because one of the men is returning from the city in the evening. The decision taken by the group is a very "Mennonite" one.

I had a lot of ambivalence going into the film. I didn't like the novel when I read it several years ago. The author closely tied the story to accounts of crimes in one of Bolivia's very conservative Mennonite groups. However, the novel's nuanced dialogue was far beyond illiterate Mennonite women without education who could not even read a map. And a university-educated August would never be allowed back to teach in such a conservative colony.

Sarah Polley extracts the story from Mennonite specificity (the film never mentions the word and doesn't mention "Mennonite" last names). Polley uses very subdued colors in the filming, reinforcing the conservative impression. Although the movie's setting still looks Mennonite, its greater abstraction allowed me to focus on the issues being discussed--rage, forced ignorance, the necessity of faith and how to reconcile this faith with what happened, how best to embody their pacifist ethic, etc. The discussion is wide-ranging and doesn't provide easy and ready solutions. Rooney Mara, Claire Foy, and Jessie Buckley are excellent as they express contrasting and shifting perspectives.

"Women Talking" probably needs to be seen multiple times to get all the layers. The Mennonite context sells the movie, but for me, it only made sense to push that representation to the rear. I wish critics would focus on it less. The film's ending unfolds a little too slowly once their decision has been made.

Why 'Women Talking' Did Not Work For Me

[levybob · 6/10 · 1 February 2023]

Sarah Polley's 'Women Talking' did not work for me. This story of a group of women - all of whom belong to a U. S. religious sect in the 1960's - who are physically and emotionally abused by their menfolk / husbands, seems more like a dispassionate, politically correct lecture, than a dialogue between real people. Real people in pain. And it should not have had that effect. Particularly in these times when the news is filled with detailed descriptions of what real men do to real women.

Rooney Mara, Claire Foy, and. Jesse Buckley play three young women who had been drugged and sexually accosted, and who are now part of a 'commission' asked to decide what the community's women's next steps should be. Should they remain in the community and say / do nothing, remain and fight back, or pack up and leave? In making their decision, each of the three young women describes their lives and their reasons for voting as they do. Rooney Mara's character seems the most undecided, willing to see all sides of the argument and taking different positions over the course of the film. Claire Foy is angry and outspoken but I found it difficult to ascribe a preferred next-step to her. Jesse Buckley is the angriest and, at first, the most unwilling to leave her abusive husband, and it is that - her failure to realize how abused she is - that made me care less about her than I should.

Two senior women participate in the commission and one, played by Judith Ivey - made the strongest impression on me. She has the wisdom that comes with age and the ability to put it into words. Ben Whishaw as the one man invited to the commission brings a startling honesty to the proceedings; he more than anyone knows the evil men can do.

But for me, the film's 'failure' involves the three young women. There is a cold and distanced quality to their recitals. It is as though they are relating a film they saw, a book they read, rather than expressing the anger, the anxiety, the fear they all know very well.

I should have been moved. I should have been angered. I should have been relieved. But I was not.

A Noble Attempt But a Major Misfire

[brentsbulletinboard · 5/10 · 31 December 2022]

I'll admit up front that this is likely going to be an unpopular review and a decidedly minority opinion, but I have to be honest about my feelings. Writer-director Sarah Polley's adaptation of Miriam Toews's novel of the same name may come from a place of noble intent, and it may feature one of the year's finest acting ensembles, but its overall treatment is a major misfire. This fact-based story about a group of women from a conservative religious colony who meet to discuss how to respond to a series of sexual assaults in their community unfolds in a circular, wooden, stagey fashion that plays more like a university discussion group than a work of dramatic cinema. The ideas raised in these dialogues - ranging from activism to passivity to intergender relations to forgiveness to faith and salvation - are certainly lofty topics for consideration and deliberation, especially in terms of how they might be addressed in the forging of a new and better world. But their handling here is so forced and inauthentic that the entire exercise lacks believability and does little to foster a sense of concerted viewer engagement. And, as the narrative drones on and on, it becomes tediously dull, with one of the characters herself astutely observing that "This is very, very boring" (well said, if a bit ironic). What's more, a number of incidents and themes seemingly arise out of nowhere and aren't always fully resolved, making one wonder why they were included in the first place. Even more disappointing is the fact that the film features so many fine portrayals by performers who are given such stilted material to work with, including Jessie Buckley, Claire Foy, Judith Ivey, Sheila McCarthy, Ben Whishaw and Frances McDormand (whose appearance is more of an afterthought than anything else). Director Polley has certainly made a name for herself with such excellent past works as "Away From Her" (2006), but her reach has certainly exceeded her grasp with this undertaking, one that has much to say but ultimately says so little.

O how I love Rooney Mara. Sarah Polley has a unique voice

[bennytonyaolan · 9/10 · 28 October 2022]

The majority of the film takes place in a barn, where several women literally talk out loud their issues regarding women's safety, consent, and religious faith. But it doesn't seem boring at all, with interjecting flash-backs that cut to the field for a change of scenes. The premise works well and reminds me of "12 Angry Men". Rooney Mara shines as Ona; she is the queen of humanity. Every actress contributed some heart-felt moments, even the seemingly least likeable character. There is no weak link in this film.

Even when I missed the opening scene because I was late, this film still touched my heart. Sure the dialogues are heavy, but it's intelligent in its discussion of faith, responsibility, and love. I've never seen Sarah Polley's other work, but this film showcases her skills very well; and if this is the tone and direction she wants to go with, I can't wait to see what she makes in the future.

A film about our fundamental humanity

[josiahliljequist · 7/10 · 10 March 2023]

Some films make you step back and think about your own life, your own morality and selfishness-and this one definitely did it for me. I was amazed by the depiction of these characters (who were loosely based on real life women), and the power they had to forgive and keep their faith. To have one of the greatest, if not the greatest, evils perpetrated against you and to be lied about the very crime, and yet to look forward with hope and love is something inspiring to say the least. And I don't think this film is just about gender. When August talks about teenage boys, he explains how they can indeed be dangerous, but that they also have tender and poignant emotions that need time and love to develop and be sustained. He sees hope in those boys. And in one of the most moving scenes in the film, when Ona is asked how she can stand having a rapist's baby inside her and actually love it, she explains how the baby is as innocent as all of us, just as the rapist was at the moment of his birth. Ona represents an undying optimism for humankind, one that is bolstered by her faith and ability to forgive, and I was certainly moved by her portrayal by Rooney Mara.

Some reviewers felt that the movie was slow and stagy, but I was thoroughly gripped with the drama and dialogue of the film. The performances are great, and the cinematography is focused and efficient at setting a somber mood with rays of beauty (like the time lapse of the setting sun, the children playing in the waves of grain, the starlit barn), and I believe Sarah Polley's decision to mute the color gradient was a smart one. Another aspect I found particularly effective was the score by Hildur-it was beautiful and tense, yet not overly sentimental, with minor key guitar strums that propelled the momentum of the one-day set film, while also creating a dreary and apprehensive mood as the women await their decision and fate.

Overall, I was moved and captivated by this film, enough that I wanted to write this review. And I can't say that for many movies.

Well Intentioned, Yet Poorly Delivered

[d5454 · 4/10 · 28 January 2023]

When critiquing a film as heavily thematic as this, it is important to put your personal convictions on the back burner and try to analyze the piece as objectively as possible. It is difficult to do, considering WOMEN TALKING's entire identity is dependent on those themes, so I will still be talking about it toward the end, if anyone prefers not to read on. But first, let's analyze the clinical.

This was a thoughtful, decorated cast from all different backgrounds. However, I couldn't say the acting was particularly good. Some members of the ensemble were clearly only cast for having unique, Mennonite style appearances, yet they did not have the acting chops to tackle a drama of this weight. The others who certainly did have the talent, as shown by their previous work, were not well directed. Ironically, the best performance of this cast happened to be the only biological male, a rather sad and counterproductive realization, considering the elements of female empowerment this movie was trying to invoke. I will give more details on him later.

The cinematography was rough. They opted to use very obvious color grading to darken every scene. It was immediately annoying that they didn't choose to experiment with practical mood lighting, but around the one-hour mark it simply became unbearably distracting.

The weakest element had to come from the writing. It wasn't that the writing was poor; quite the contrary. We knew from the beginning that these characters were uneducated. They say as much. They can't read, write, speak unless spoken to, and even free thinking is greatly discouraged. Despite all that, the written dialogue paints them as if they are all poets. Fluent, articulate vocabularies and vocal structure, all the exact same as one another, not to mention deep philosophical concepts and expressions. Good on Sarah Polley for being able to write so beautifully, but she didn't seem to understand the assignment.

Now for the themes. WOMEN TALKING is clearly trying to be an allegory for female rage in our wider society, with each character acting as a surrogate for the various faces of victimhood. That is all well and good, but the point is lost by setting it within an isolated Mennonite colony (mind you, based on real events). It essentially serves as an admission that this level of misogynistic, religious zealotry is not common in the wider world, and therefore it is actively working against its own message. If the producers were married to that metaphor, they should have used more universally relatable source material.

To be frank, the message can also be viewed as problematic. The talking points among the women include how all men should be held responsible for the few, as well as what age men could be considered "dangerous" or not. It is clear this movie is trying to make some outdated, generalized arguments against the wider demographic of men, with only two exceptions to the rule:

There is Melvin, a trans man who changed his identity after an assault and miscarriage. The situation also pushed him to go selectively mute, a somewhat absurd development that is not reflective of how transgenderism actually works. Not to mention, a transgender man would never be allowed to stay in a Mennonite colony, so Melvin's inclusion in the ensemble further compromises the realism of the piece.

The other "good" man is August. I mentioned him earlier. I know the actor well, particularly from his time doing Shakespeare. This is one of his first movies where he is given room to shine, and he certainly did. Even so, he is a rather small, soft spoken, and unintimidating actor. I think the inclusion of these two characters is trying to make the point that men don't have to be feared as long as they aren't masculine, another problematic idea about gender, but I digress.

Despite August being one of the "good guys," he is still treated horribly by the female characters. He is berated every time he speaks. Even when he actively refuses to share his opinion, they still use his refusal as a jumping off point about privilege. At the end, it is made clear that August was simply being used so he can "teach" the teen boys how to not be dangerous. They only ever treated August like a tool, not a person.

At his best, the character of August served as an innocent punching bag for frustrated women. At his worst, August may not have even been so innocent at all. One could develop a theory that August was actually one of the assaulters all along, even impregnating his love interest while she was unconscious. The movie doesn't explicitly say this, just ever so subtle hints that I could still be misinterpreting. However, if that is the direction they were trying to go, it effectively ruins one of their most compelling characters and demoralizes the only positive adult male figure the movie has to offer.

I think this movie was well intentioned, but it would have been better served as a thinking piece. Instead it was an exercise in anger, more screaming its ideas than discussing them. If it were better made, this could have been forgiven. Sadly, it was not.

Benefits from its dilemma.

[katiefanatic-791-306918 · 8/10 · 4 December 2022]

There's two movies about sexual assault this year-this and the Harvey Weinstein based 'she said'. I found 'she Said' To be like watching 'spotlight' all over again. It didn't add anything new to the conversation. This does because of its nuances. It's easy to make a 'sexual assault bad' movie but this movie grapples within a religious faith based community where things aren't so black and white. I loved how all the characters represented all points of view-doing something about it, say nothing, etc. I love all the main cast-Claire foy, Jessie Buckley, Rooney Mara. Really great film done subtly on an important subject.

Listen to the message. It's the most important thing.

[Movie_Rating_n_Ranking · 7/10 · 28 February 2023]

Women Talking is a timeless film that has a strongly feminist message, but also speaks from victims of unjustifiable injustices who never had a voice anywhere. Incredible as it may seem, the speech of these characters is so long ignored that it's represented by a rural group of women who apparently lived several decades ago. They speak out of fear, anger, revenge, but also from a sense of justice and equity.

The script is very direct, but also contains some metaphors worth appreciating. The great negative detail is the great religious charge existing in the film, even though I understand that this also plays a fundamental role.

This is a good film to encourage debate and conversations that rarely take place normally.

The technical aspects have a good level, although the soundtrack is one of the weakest links. But this is not the film to analyze technicalities. This is all about the clearly delivered message. It just hopes it has good listeners.

Tremendous Movie

[evanston_dad · 10/10 · 11 January 2023]

I only read about 30 pages of Miriam Toews' novel "Women Talking" before deciding it wasn't for me. But even at that, I could tell that Sarah Polley's adaptation was superb.

This film gave me the feels big time. Excellently acted from soup to nuts, it gives virtually every actor a moment to shine. Claire Foy, Jessie Buckley, Rooney Mara, Ben Whishaw, Judith Ivey, and Sheila McCarthy all deserve to be mentioned by name. The movie aches with feeling, and my heart went out to these women who just want to live their lives and practice their faith but can't because of rules imposed on them that they didn't have a vote in creating.

A lot of people are whining about the washed out color scheme, but I don't get it. It matches the mood perfectly, and it's not at all distracting.

And this has to feature the best use of the song "Daydream Believer" perhaps in film history.

Grade: A+

A Philosophical, Throught-Provoking Film

[chron · 7/10 · 18 October 2023]

There is a lot to like about this movies, but it has some issues that one should understand before giving it your time.

For the positives, the cast is superb. This has a stellar cast, and they all deliver in their acting skills. The direction is excellent, and the cinematography delivers but does not overwhelm.

This is a philosophical film. It gives a fair treatise on the ramifications of misogyny in the context of an authoritarian religious society. It exposes the risk of the status quo and the risk of change for people who aren't empowered by the culture in which they live. That can clearly be extrapolated to a lot of cultures in the world, even the so-called enlightened Western world. Humanity still has a lot to learn.

Because it is fundamentally a philosophical movie, it does have a slow pace. I couldn't help but think of "My Dinner with Andre." I want to be careful not to spoil anything, so feel free to stop reading.

I did find the resolution to the situation to be implausible, but I don't think it hurt the movie, because the resolution wasn't the point. The path to the resolution was the point. I found it interesting and thought-provoking.

As a somewhat relevant side note. I am a male, but as a feminist, I resonated with the message whole-heartedly.

When I give a movie 10 rating, it means something.

[Andrew_Ormsby · 10/10 · 29 November 2022]

FILM REVIEW ~ "WOMEN TALKING"

I have reviewed thousands of films in my life. Possibly in the tens of thousands. So when I say I have only given a handful of films a 10/10 score, I want you to know how special that is. & this film is that special. But here's the thing. I believe this is one of the best films I've ever seen. It will be in my Top 100 Greatest Films Of All Time list. I will remember the day I saw this film for the rest of my life. But I could never watch it again. This is your content warning that this film deals with sexual violence in a way I've never seen any film before. It is heavy, it is traumatic, it is powerful. Performances all around were superb. It is pretty much a flawless movie.

So in short, when this film is released in Theaters, I can't urge everyone enough that this is a very important & powerful film to see. But I can't ever watch it again. Isn't that wild? To know a film is that good, but you'll only see it the once.

Really, Really Boring

[thechair · 4/10 · 16 February 2023]

I wouldn't normally bother to come on here and speak the negatives because, well, who cares? But as there are so few doing it I have to lend my voice. Beautifully well shot and acted, this is easily the dullest time I have had at the cinema in this, admittedly short, 2023 so far. With the splendid reviews (thanks Jim Schembri for being the lone voice on RT) and the stellar cast I was really looking forward to it, and to be fair the visuals and the initial mystery, plus the intriguing, horrid flashes of the crimes being referred to, did hold me fast for the first act. But alas, the second act was merely a repetition of the first, with the same boring conversation ongoing, that stellar cast merely masking the fact that these characters are as paper thin as any from a junky superhero movie. It got no better as it crept sombrely towards the finale, which couldn't have come sooner for me. It does what it says on the tin, so if you'd like to see some women talking, about the same thing, in a barn, for an hour and three quarters, fill your boots.

A few marks for the acting, the score (which really was clever - what a waste) and the cinematography: 4/10.

A compelling film

[rdoyle29 · 8/10 · 2 February 2023]

In 2009, eight men in Manitoba Colony, a very conservative Mennonite community in Bolivia were convicted of drugging and raping 100 women in the community. Manitoba author Miriam Toews wrote the book "Women Talking" based on this incident.

In the film adaptation, the men responsible for the attacks have been caught and turned over to the authorities. The men of the community have left to post bail for them. The women have been instructed to forgive them. They are all meeting while the men are away to consider their options because most don't feel they can simply forgive, but in refusing to do so, they face exile. A vote is taken and it's a draw between staying and contesting the men's position and leaving the community, so the women debate which course of action is best.

This is a very well written and acted film. Some very profound ideas are discussed ... the nature of forgiveness, how to maintain faith if the main representatives of your fait are hopelessly corrupt, the importance of feeling heard and felling that your thoughts and feelings matter. The primary cast ... Jessie Buckley, Rooney Mara, Claire Foy, Judith Ivey, Sheila McCarthy ... all turn in wonderful performances. It's an extremely engaging and dramatic film, especially for one largely grounded in argument and discussion.

It's not a particularly cinematic or visually compelling film, and it has some odd structural issues. That's not a very serious criticism, but it does hold the film back at times. It also is about 15 minutes longer than it should be. Still, it's a film that feels important, especially in the current cultural climate.

It's a very informative film.

[FernandoRainer · 7/10 · 16 October 2023]

It's a very informative film. It's a film with lines that can add insight into human beings. They are good performances like a play, perhaps that is why the film could be better adapted.

Some aspects of the film's main subject could have been better explored and deepened with more scenes, through the characters in different situations shown in scenes and even in speeches, precise speeches about the current context and not just about the consequent much-desired future.

But it is a necessary film, because at this time women's lives were very underestimated and this is still a reflection on our current times.

Dreadful

[kay-summers · 3/10 · 6 March 2023]

The acting was wooden. The dialogue was unnatural and pretentious. The cinematography was boring and dark and the colors unappealingly desaturated.

The screenplay was dull and trite and by trying much too hard to be profound, it succeeded only in sounding ludicrous.

Even the excellent actresses in the cast were unconvincing. The uneducated characters the actresses represented would not have had the vocabulary to use the feminist jargon and supposedly high minded dialogue the actresses were given to say. Most of the characters came across as unlikable and shrill rather than profoundly and justifiably hurt by their abuse.

It could have been so good. It was wasn't.

Astonishing Film - Moving & Poetic. Flawless Ensemble Cast. Best Film of Year 💯

[Instant_Palmer · 10/10 · 13 March 2023]

The film that SHOULD have won the Oscar for Best Film. My 3rd Annual Oscar Snub Award goes to 'Women Talking'. This is the first Snub Award given to a film that was actually nominated (Best Film) and Won an Oscar (Adapted Screenplay). But the film is so far above the field, that once again, it begs to be asked "what were Academy voters thinking?" This is the only film in recent memory that I wanted to see twice in the same day. Every sentence of the screenplay is poetry - simply amazing work. Thankful the Academy recognized Polley's inspired and (again) poetic adaption of Miriam Toews' book.

The ensemble cast synergistically propelled each other to greater heights, and the performances are spell binding. Bravo ladies👏.

This film proves why more women should be directing. The film engrains itself in your soul and speaks to one's humanity. Most moving artistically written film in recent memory.

Without any reservation, two thumbs up for the MUST-SEE film. Immediately placed on my Top 100 Greatest Films list.💯. No other film this year is on that list.

👍👍

Great Writing and Terrific Performances!

[SoumikBanerjee1996 · 7/10 · 3 March 2023]

"Freedom is good; it is better than slavery. Forgiveness is good; it is better than revenge. And hope of the unknown is good; it is better than hatred of the familiar"

'Women Talking' is a meticulously constructed and masterfully acted drama that has so much relevance and importance even to this day! Quite a daring piece of art that fearlessly speaks of all the systematic oppression and limitless barbarity against women that was previously seen as the 'norm' of a 'thriving' society and civilisation; Shame!

A never-ending pit of intoxicated patriarchy and fragile masculinity that led to unimaginable sufferings for countless women all over the world, back when women were merely regarded as objects of vile desire and violent urges of Men, left in the lurch with their mouths shut and rights and liberty taken away, 'Women Talking' not only shed some light into that dark era but also attempts to scrutinise what exactly had led their path to this unendurable situation.

And I admire how the writing has given space to each values and vision without conspicuously leaning on one specific, singular aspect, and I also happen to admire how the screenplay here balances out all feasible perceptions and comes to a firm resolve by the end, notwithstanding the fact that I was kind of disappointed in the way in which it had drawn the curtains.

P. S. Whilst the entire cast had contributed to the film in quite equal measure, it's Jessie Buckley and Claire Foy, who stood out in my humble opinion, What a tremendously talented pair we've got! Absolute pleasure to see them perform!