Women Talking
2022
***½
Director: Sarah Polley
Cast: Rooney Mara, Claire Foy, Jessie Buckley, Frances McDormand, Ben Whishaw, Judith Ivey, Sheila McCarthy, Kate Hallett, Liv McNeil, Michelle McLeod
After years of physical and sexual abuse by the men in their community, a group of Mennonite women gather in a hayloft to discuss whether to stay and fight or leave altogether. For her emotionally charged drama, Sarah Polley adapted Miriam Toews' 2018 novel, which was inspired by true events in Bolivia between 2005 and 2009. This moving and well-acted if not entirely believable film champions solidarity and female resilience. Like the title indicates, the women have a long and heated conversation about faith, forgiveness, and the cost of taking action, which also means that this is not a particularly cinematic experience. Polley won an Academy Award for her screenplay.
