Women Talking

Now on Amazon Prime.

Sarah Polley writes and directs this Oscar winning adaptation of Miriam Toews book. Set in 2010, the women live in a Mennonite community, mostly isolated from the modern world. For years women have awoken beaten, bruised, blooded and sexually assaulted. Told for generations that the attackers were ghosts or the devil, this changes when the women catch a male from the community in the act. The women, unschooled, unprotected in an abusive environment, decide they must take action. The community leaders come together to discuss their options, should they do nothing, stay and fight the men or leave. What ensues is a complicated discussion about the pro’s and cons of each, the future and their roles in it.

Women Talking is exactly as it describes. It is a film primarily set in a barn where a group of, while uneducated, intelligent women discuss what their lives have been, what the community they live in has done to them and what their futures hold. But it does this in a hugely compelling and engaging way.

It’s a story that at times is raw and shocking, sometimes humourous, sometimes devastatingly sad. It shows the complexity of abuse at all levels mental, physical and institutional. Because while the horrific abuse they suffer would suggest an easy decision, the script smartly explores all of the difficulties that come with escaping abuse of any sort.

There is a strong cast that deliver compelling performances inclusing Claire Foy, Rooney Mara, Jesse Buckley, Shiela McCarthy, Judith Ivey and Ben Wishaw.

It’s not perfect, it does move slowly at times and it sometimes feels a bit stagey, but these are minor gripes about what is a smart, complex and thought provoking film.

Women Talking, now on Amazon Prime, deals with the complexity of abuse mental, physical and institutional. Full of strong performances from an excellent cast it presents a powerful message. While it’s basically women talking in a barn, don’t be fooled as this is a compelling, intelligent piece of storytelling.