by Foster Harlfinger, Contributing Writer
The women of a devout Mennonite colony arise. Feeling sick, drowsy, and bruised, they are told that the Devil has come to visit them in their sleep — a punishment for their sins. This pattern continues for some time until one night when two younger members of their colony observe a man sprinting away through the field.
Women Talking offers a dramatization of the true story of the dozens of women who discover that the men of their colony — in some cases, their own husbands and brothers — have repeatedly snuck into their beds with cow tranquilizer to anesthetize and rape them. Such a discovery is not one that allows its victims to go on living without taking some sort of action. To forgive their rapists and abusers, as the women are being pressured to do, proves to be unpopular among their community. As it stands, two options remain: leave the community they have known since birth to start a new life elsewhere, or stay and fight.
With just two days to themselves before the men of the community return from the city, two families of women convene to weigh both options, either of which would undoubtedly alter the trajectory of the rest of their lives. Led by dominating performances from three of our best working actresses, Claire Foy, Jessie Buckley, and Rooney Mara, Women Talking deserves praise for its sensitive, nuanced screenplay from writer-director Sarah Polley. You will find yourself siding with multiple characters’ perspectives over the course of the film, only to face the unfortunate reality that there is no easy answer. Whichever path these women choose, however necessary it may be, will inevitably lead to further periods of struggle. To further complicate matters, many of these women remain steadfastly devoted to their faith. Each path forward comes with the implicit question, “What would God think?”
Despite its dour subject matter, Polley’s screenplay never hesitates to shine a light on the surprising sense of humor the women of the colony are able to maintain. Though this melding of tones will work wonders for many audience members, it can also lead to an unfortunate feeling of whiplash between feeling emotionally drained and laughing at a character’s exasperated expression or witty remark. The performances, while undeniably masterful, are often heightened for dramatic effect. As spectacular as they may be throughout the entire runtime, Foy and Buckley in particular get their fair share of “Oscar clip” moments that feel designed to attract awards attention. Even so, each of the performances from our leading trio of women, as well as an unexpected, but always welcome performance from Ben Whishaw (our lone male character of the bunch), remain incredibly impactful, and any sort of awards season attention for their work on the film would be well deserved.
It can be difficult to criticize a film with such sensitive subject matter, and while the emotional impact of the film’s story will subjectively vary from person to person, the film’s peculiar color-grading will linger in the back of most audience members’ minds. You know that sludgy color tone that appears in the flashbacks of your average network television show? The one that would look black-and-white if it weren’t for its dull, vomit-colored glaze? Picture that for the entirety of Women Talking’s runtime. Regardless of any deeper meaning such color-grading is meant to convey, it is an eyesore that consistently distracts from what is an otherwise beautifully shot film.
In spite of these complaints, the performances alone solidify Women Talking as one of the top must-see films of the year, and it is difficult not to recommend it when one considers the enduring emotional impact it seems to have on most of its viewers. The powerful story of these women may provide the initial hook, but it is the thoughtful, subtle disagreements between them that will stick with you long after the credits roll. One can’t help but admire the way Polley allows her characters to think through such deep questions out loud for what is likely the very first time. Through engaging with one another in spirited debate about the path to freedom, the women gain an altogether different sort of freedom in the process: the freedom to think, question, and feel, and the ability to do so without fear of retribution.
Score: 7/10
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