WOMEN TALKING is directed by Sarah Polley, and is based on Miriam Toews’ novel. It stars The film stars Rooney Mara, Claire Foy, Jessie Buckley, Judith Ivey, Ben Whishaw, and Frances McDormand.
In the year 2010, the females of a Mennonite community far removed from the modern world find themselves second-class citizens, treated poorly by their male counterparts. When men rape and drug them, the women refuse to give into society’s norms and morals of forgiving the oppressors. The group of women hotly debate their options, including staying and continuing with life as usual, fighting back, or fleeing for the best of themselves and their families. What decision with the females make?
WOMEN TALKING is set in 2010, but if you didn’t know better, your first impression might place it somewhere in the 1800s. That’s how backwards the world seen in this film is, with women being treated poorly and inferior to men, and a lack of technology. The film features a fantastic cast, and while it’s admittedly a slow burn with limited action and mostly relegated to a single location, it paints an interesting and hard-hitting picture.
World building in WOMEN TALKING is a fantastic asset. It’s a colony so far removed from the modern world that females don’t get to learn how to read, and modern technology is in limited quantities. The sheer existence of a world like this, let alone in the modern United States, is truly shocking. These aspects alone are a wake-up call, and are one of the reasons the movie is worth seeing. Links to the world we know and live in are few and far between and this works to the final product’s strengths.
Casting is another fantastic accomplishment of WOMEN TALKING. Roles from the likes of Claire Foy (FIRST MAN) and Frances McDormand (ALMOST FAMOUS) are hard-hitting, with the movie running the gamut between viewpoints and emotions, not to mention conflicting opinions. These are strong-willed women who’ve been at the mercy of ungrateful and abusive men for too long, but their approaches to solving the problem differ substantially, making for a heated and spirited debate. Nearly the entire film takes place in a single location, and it opts for a “less is more” approach. Males rarely appear on camera, with the most prominent male performance coming from Ben Whishaw (PADDINGTON, SKYFALL). I feared a PG-13 rating (rather than R) would work against this film, but the end result still stands strongly.
The movie itself is solid, though I’ll be the first to admit it won’t be for everyone. There’s very little action, and it’s a film that demands the undivided attention of its audience. A few “intense” moments come here and there, but these sometimes feel out of place and are often issues that don’t get revisited. However, the running time of just over 100 minutes is just about right for a film such as this. While WOMEN TALKING is certainly not a boring film, it’s difficult to say if a movie like this will connect with mainstream audiences. This moviegoer hopes it does; it has a powerful story to tell, and one that needs telling.
WOMEN TALKING has a fantastic mostly-female cast, great set design, world building, and heated debates and arguments that are entirely justified. This is a great film that, admittedly, probably won’t be a hit with everyone. But it shouldn’t stop you from checking it out if you’re seeking a powerful story in need of telling. Recommended.
By Taylor T Carlson
Taylor T Carlson Assistant Editor/Senior Staff Writer Taylor T. Carlson was born August 17, 1984, and has called the Vegas Valley home his entire life. A die-hard fan of classic rock and metal music, Taylor has been writing album and concert reviews since he was 16 years old, and continues to do so, having done well over 1,000 reviews. He is also a fan of video gaming and cinema, and has reviewed a number of games and films as well, old and new alike. His thorough and honest (some would say brutally honest) reviewing style has won him the respect of hundreds of music fans and musicians alike, both local and abroad, and the ire of just as many others. Despite being one of the youngest attendees at classic hard rock/metal shows around Vegas, he is also one of the most knowledgeable, having gained the unofficial nickname of “The Eddie Trunk of Las Vegas.” In addition to reviews, Taylor has written and self-published three books on classic hard rock bands, and is a regular participant in rock and roll trivia contests. Taylor also holds a masters degree in special education from the University of Nevada Las Vegas (UNLV), and has appeared on the hit History Channel television series Pawn Stars. His dream is to be able to one day make a living from writing music books and reviews.