Content Advisory: Rape and Sexual Assault, Abuse
The women of an isolated religious community meet to decide their future in Women Talking. When multiple accounts of sexual abuse are uncovered within their Mennonite colony, a group of women, including Ona (Rooney Mara), Salome (Claire Foy), Mariche (Jessie Buckley), Scarface Janz (Frances McDormand), Agata (Judith Ivey), and Greta (Sheila McCarthy) meet in a hayloft to decide whether they should forgive the men for their crimes, stay and fight, or leave the colony altogether. With minutes for the meeting written down by school teacher August (Ben Whishaw), the women decide the pros and cons of each option.
Sarah Polley returns with her first film in a decade, writing and directing this adaptation of the 2018 novel by Miriam Toews, which in turn is loosely inspired by the real-life events that occurred at the Manitoba Colony in Bolivia. Women Talking follows the members of a Mennonite colony, who are given two days to forgive the men who committed multiple accounts of sexual abuse or else they will be excommunicated. The women have to decide whether it is worth staying and fighting for themselves or if it is a better option for them to leave.
As the title suggests, Women Talking is essentially an extended conversation that alludes to but does not show the acts of sexual violence against the women of this Mennonite colony. In many ways, the film is better, as we are forced to listen and hang onto every word. Each member of the ensemble cast of their moment to shine, though the plot is primarily driven by the performances of Rooney Mara, Claire Foy, and Jessie Buckley, who have the most emotional moments in the film. Then there’s Ben Whishaw as the sole male protagonist of the film, whose character August is just there to take notes of the meeting and otherwise be an observer. Altogether, Women Talking is an extended conversation of a film that makes you hang onto every word.