Women Talking Review
Women Talking (2022)
Directed by: Sarah Polley
In this powerful adaptation of Miriam Toews’ novel, the women of a Mennonite community discover they have all been continuously drugged and assaulted in their sleep by the village men. The village women assemble to decide what to do next; stay and do nothing, stay and fight, or leave. They are up against an impossible decision: do they leave the only home they have ever known to venture into a world they are woefully unprepared for, do they fight a battle they most likely cannot win, or do they stay, forgiving the men and continuing life as usual? Generations of women gather in the hayloft of their old barn to contemplate before the village men return from town. The women debate through stunning displays of feminine connection, sharing varying levels of intense anger, crushing shame, and overwhelming fears. But through their disagreements they also hold, comfort and champion each other in a fiercely moving way. As the conversation intensifies, they turn towards the gentle male schoolteacher assigned to take minutes for them, towards each other, towards the God they worship. But they ultimately look at their children and grandchildren who will succumb to the same fate they did if they do not take action. The setting and its sounds diverge; the soundscape is idyllic and peaceful, filled with children’s laughter and the hum of nature. But the cinematography captures unsaturated empty spaces, harnessing a feeling of persisting dissonance that lets us know something is a bit off. It’s evident that life in this village has reached a breaking point, falling out of a rhythm that perhaps once worked; maybe it never did. We are constantly reminded of the stakes just outside the hayloft, where the children run freely and play. The women and the children are running out of time - both before the men return to the village before the girls fall prey to more abuse, and before the boys turn into men their mothers don’t recognize. Is it too late for the boys to not take after their fathers? It’s one of the film’s most poignant questions, with the mothers fearing they have lost their sons to generational abuse.
I really loved Women Talking and find it incredibly important that this story as been brought to a larger audience, especially now with Academy Award nominations. I believe it really accurately and painstakingly documented the aftermath of a sexual assault and all of the intense mixed reactions that it stirs up. I highly recommend this beautiful film, with kudos to Hildur Guònadóttir creating yet another stunning soundtrack and an astounding ensemble performance. It's a shame that Sarah Polley was left out of the Best Directing category this ear - it was well deserved.
Sarah Polley details this true story in an intimate and deep-seated way, using the experience of these villagers as a culmination of a larger issue; women being misled, not believed, and ignored in rape culture. The book draws on the heartbreaking experiences of a Mennonite village located in Bolivia, detailed in Vice's explosive 2013 article "The Ghost Rapes of Bolivia", which I highly recommend reading after watching.
