Women Talking
How do movements start? With a conversation.
Sarah Polley takes a look at how women find strength in each other in Women Talking.
When a group of Mennonite women is brutally attacked in a series of assaults, the violence lasts for years. Cow tranquilizer is sprayed in their homes, after which men slither through their windows and do as they please. Women wake up bleeding, some have teeth knocked out, three-year-old girls contract STIs, and others are inexplicably pregnant.
The horror lasts as long as it does because of the code of silence the Mennonite community force on their women. They don’t think they’ll be believed. They fear they’ll be blamed. But eventually, one of these sadistic attackers wakes up one of the men. The culprits are rounded up and proclaimed devils. They’re locked in a barn where the men hope to save the souls of their brothers, who succumbed to temptation.
When one of the women breaks into the barn and attacks her abuser with a scythe, the police are called, and the rapists are hauled off — for their safety.
Once the men are finally caught, the women breathe a sigh of relief. But the men of the community pause. They believe that it’s god’s will for the women to forgive their attackers and welcome them back to the community. After all, those that committed the heinous acts were clearly possessed by the devil. It wasn’t their fault. If the women refuse to forgive their attackers, they’re the evil ones and will surely burn in hell.
As the men go into town to raise money for bail in hopes of bringing home violent rapists so they may be forgiven, the women hold a meeting. They have three options: Do nothing, stay and fight, or leave.
They don’t have long to figure things out. The men will be back soon. Though the women are illiterate, they must vote and debate whether the only world they’ve ever known is worth saving.
How would you vote?
Based on a true story that occurred in Bolivia, Women Talking is a powerful look at how women process trauma, debate with peers, and find resilience in each other. Director Sarah Polley adapted Miriam Toews’ book for the screen, taking care to look at these issues and the women of the Mennonite community with respect. Toews, who grew up in a Canadian Mennonite community, was inspired by the assaults in Bolivia to look at the things women in her community were faced with because of faith-based pressure.
This meticulous care and respect for the characters shines through every scene. The cast — an astounding range of film and stage actresses including Judith Ivey, Rooney Mara, Claire Foy, Sheila McCarthy, Jessie Buckley, and Frances McDormand — offers up a feast of excellent performances. Foy in particular is incandescent with rage over what was done to her and her daughters. Her fury bleeds through every scene as she argues that there can be no forgiveness. She spars with Buckley, who is filled with a different type of rage having to do with her family’s circumstances. Ivey also stands out as an elder in the community who steers the debate to fruitful ground when tempers or emotions flare.
There is only one man with a significant role in the film, Ben Whishaw’s August, who takes the minutes of the meeting, since none of the women can read or write. They want to leave a record, and August is the only trustworthy man they know. His mother fled the community with him when he was younger, and after attending university he returns to them, hoping to foster some change by educating the boys. While it’s admirable that he stays out of most of the women’s debates, it’s also a little weird. He makes no effort to tell them about the outside world or prepare them for what they may need to do if they leave. It seems odd to keep this information from the women, especially since literacy skills might be critical to their finding help in the outside world.
Polley’s film is really a roundtable discussion on the treatment of women, particularly in communities that are isolated. She doesn’t shy away from the mistreatment that they can suffer (though she is careful not to exploit the events by showing graphic attacks), and their part in raising boys who think they can behave in these ways as well. It’s a compelling watch, but one that feels a little cerebral. The story and relationships feel theoretical instead of lived in.
Still, it’s a worthwhile examination of how women build communities to help them reckon with the violence and dismissals they face in the world. And you won’t see a better cast in a movie all year.
Verdict: A sharp, nuanced look at a group of women who must decide whether to take hold of their fate or let it be determined by men.
Women Talking is rated PG-13 and available in theaters Jan. 20.
