TIFF ’22 Review: ‘Women Talking’ is a poignant examination of trauma
‘Women Talking’ centres on a group of women who finally decide to put their safety first, but must now weigh the consequences of their actions.
In a tight-knit Mennonite community, several men have been turned over to the authorities for sexually assaulting the village’s women and girls. However, they are far from the only culprits in years of abuse that have been concealed, actively ignored and explained away as acts of ghosts and Satan. Now, the women are at a crossroads and they must choose between three options: do nothing, stay and fight, or leave. After a first-of-its-kind vote, a small group of women are appointed to deliberate their choices. Gathered in a hayloft, the only remaining man, a schoolteacher named August (Ben Whishaw), takes minutes as the women have only two days to decide their fates before the other men return.
Writer/director Sarah Polley has not released a film in a decade, but she returns with a poignant examination of trauma. There are very few sets in the picture, emphasizing that these women are isolated and alone in their stand against the non-discretionary rape that’s occurred (and reoccurred) most of their lives. The subject matter is dealt with in a manner that both underlines its effects, while never explicitly describing the scenes. Polley expertly splices in via brief flashbacks of women waking up frightened, bruised and bleeding, never holding long enough to allow anyone to dwell too long on what was since this is about what will be.
The film begins by noting what follows is an “act of female imagination” as the ability for women to make such choices based purely on self-preservation is so inconceivable – under any circumstances. The cast is exceptional. They cry because there are no other outlets for their pain. They laugh and occasionally poke fun at the absurdity of their situation. They yell and rage at each other because they can’t unleash their fury on the men who deserve it. And they console each other because they’ve all been made victims by these heinous crimes.
Women Talking had its international premiere in the Special Presentations programme at the Toronto International Film Festival.
Read other reviews from the festival and stay tuned for the full review later this year.
Director: Sarah Polley
Starring: Rooney Mara, Claire Foy and Jessie Buckley
