Women Talking (Film)
‘Women Talking is so unique that we can declare we’ve not seen anything like it in a very long time.
It’s got an amazing female cast (Rooney Mara, Claire Foy, Jessie Buckley, Frances McDormand, Judith Ivey), with one male (Ben Whishaw ably holding his own) in this film that’s basically an all female production (the Director and Writer is Sarah Polley, McDormand is one of the producers). The action never strays far from where the women are ‘talking,’ and debating, their move, or not, to leave the compound where they (Mennonites – set in as recent as 2010) live to escape the abuse they have suffered at the hands of the men (the men are never seen but their presence is eerily felt). The women are all dressed in similar garb, it’s getting dark outside, and they are all upstairs in a barn on their compound. You could call this film a debate movie – a few of the woman want to stay and a few want to go. Watching it you never know how it’s going to end – the debate is that good, and it never gets boring. Foy is particularly memorable in scenes where she clutches her young daughter, knowing from that moment their lives will never be the same again. August (Whishaw) is tasked to take the minutes, the debate is led by Ona (Mara), Salome (Foy), and Mariche (Buckley), and ultimately a decision has to made. ‘Women Talking’ is more than just women talking – it’s taut, suspenseful, and will get you talking too.
