77. Women Talking; movie review

 

WOMEN TALKING

Cert 15

104 mins

BBFC advice: Contains  sexual violence references, sexual threat, domestic abuse

A superb script and stellar acting will win over pure action all day long, in my opinion. 

Therefore, it should be no surprise that I loved Women Talking - more than an hour and a half of fizzing debate by victims of violence in a religious colony.

The women, from teenagers to the elderly have been systematically drugged and sexually abused over a long period.

With their men out of town, they have been left with a blackmail threat - forgive them or be barred from ascending into heaven.

From a secular perspective, this may seem crazy but some of the women genuinely fear the consequences of taking action to defend themselves.

Sarah Polley's film has a brilliant ensemble cast, headed by Rooney Mara, Claire Foy, Jessie Buckley and Frances McDormand.

Within the constraints of their devout religious beliefs, they debate the options open to them - leave the colony, stay and fight or do nothing.

McDormand plays a naysayer - refusing to countenance any action, Foy's Salome wants physical revenge against the attackers, Buckley's Mariche struggles for direction with her anger and Mara's Ona is a calm guiding light.

Judith Ivey and Sheila McCarthy portray the more experienced women while Michelle McLeod, Kate Hallett and Liv McNeil excel as the younger ones.

Meanwhile, the only man to appear in the movie is Ben Whishaw who the women trust to be their notetaker as none of them has been allowed an education.

Women Talking is riveting because the resolutions are not as clear-cut as may first appear, especially to a secular audience.

The issues being debated are loosely based on real-life horrors committed at a religious colony but they could easily be transplanted into any abusive relationship.

Why do the women fear  simply walking away? Maybe because of their children, maybe because of a lack of self-esteem or education?

But Polley's film shows that, despite ultra-heightened tension, they can achieve remarkable things if they work together. 

Reasons to watch: Tense drama, superb acting 

Reasons to avoid: Almost entirely dialogue

Laughs: One

Jumps: None

Vomit: Yes

Nudity: None

Overall rating: 9/10

Did you know? More than 150 women were raped by a group of nine men in a Mennonite colony in Bolivia for four years between 2005 and 2009.

The final word. Sarah Polley: "It’s not a carnival of grief and rage. It touches upon those things but the idea is: then what? How do we move forward? What is community? What does building a different world look like?" Variety

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