216 reviews
Helpful•137108
- ferguson-6
- Jan 12, 2023
- Permalink
In 2010, the women of a Mennonite community must come together to make a decision following the discovery of a terrible secret of the men in their community. There are three options: do nothing, stay and fight, or leave. Great. The incipit is undoubtedly as interesting as it is a thriving ground for opening an important dialogue on concepts such as faith, misogyny, and feminism.
While it is an important film, and an important issue, I found the script to be profoundly insincere and artificial, in dialogue that is more like a skein of feminist slogans piled one after another. The way the characters express themselves, interact, and behave is mechanical and relegated to the stereotype of women they represent. To the most controversial character, McDormand's, I was sorry that, even in her being at fault, no space was left.
On a technical level there is nothing particularly significant; the coloring is interesting, if not particularly aesthetic. The performances of course were good, as the cast is mostly made up of great actresses.
Women Talking is commendable in its intended message, but otherwise it seems a wasted opportunity of cast as much as of reference material.
While it is an important film, and an important issue, I found the script to be profoundly insincere and artificial, in dialogue that is more like a skein of feminist slogans piled one after another. The way the characters express themselves, interact, and behave is mechanical and relegated to the stereotype of women they represent. To the most controversial character, McDormand's, I was sorry that, even in her being at fault, no space was left.
On a technical level there is nothing particularly significant; the coloring is interesting, if not particularly aesthetic. The performances of course were good, as the cast is mostly made up of great actresses.
Women Talking is commendable in its intended message, but otherwise it seems a wasted opportunity of cast as much as of reference material.
Helpful•7357
- beatrice_gangi
- Mar 1, 2023
- Permalink
This movie needs to be seen in the view of what domestic abuse victims suffer through in their decision process to stay, fight, or leave. Taken in that sense, the conflicts that each woman and the group experience make sense. If you expect a dramatic story within the construct (that of an ultra-conservative fundamentalist community, where the women are kept illiterate and totally subjugated to the men), well then it won't work. These women were much too intelligent to be illiterate, and the men would have been much more a factor in the outcome.
The movie is really about the heartbreaking choices abused women are faced with. Stripped out of the setting and set up, it does work. Suspend disbelief and you will be moved.
The movie is really about the heartbreaking choices abused women are faced with. Stripped out of the setting and set up, it does work. Suspend disbelief and you will be moved.
Helpful•2918
Powered by strong performances across the board, Women Talking follows the women of an isolated & ultraconservative community who take it upon themselves to decide the course of their future in the wake of a shattering revelation which compels them to reconcile their faith with their violent reality. Bracingly crafted & effectively told, it serves as a plea, a protest & a parable all at once.
Written & directed by Sarah Polley, the story borrows its premise from a real-life event and the film is an imagined response to it - a reaction through fiction. The disturbing truth surfaces in gut-punching ways as the women argue & discuss their next move while snippets of their past adds more weight to their collective pain, rage, fear & trauma. It does get repetitive but it also gets the point across with clarity.
The colour grading is an interesting choice, for it illustrates the bleakness of their existence in a colony ripe with unchecked male aggression but more could've been achieved with the camera. Still, what it lacks in cinematic qualities, it makes up in dramatic heft & strong emotional wallop, thanks to impressive work from the entire cast, ranging from Claire Foy's fierce rendition to Ben Whishaw's tender act, all enriching the narrative.
Overall, Women Talking is a timely, topical & thought-provoking drama that brims with hate, hurt & heartbreak in its illustration of the horrifying reality of female experience but there is also hope for a better future despite the agonising brutality of their past & present. Though there was more up for grabs which it fumbles with its very own creative choices, the commitment from the cast & searing intensity of their inputs makes it an essential viewing.
Written & directed by Sarah Polley, the story borrows its premise from a real-life event and the film is an imagined response to it - a reaction through fiction. The disturbing truth surfaces in gut-punching ways as the women argue & discuss their next move while snippets of their past adds more weight to their collective pain, rage, fear & trauma. It does get repetitive but it also gets the point across with clarity.
The colour grading is an interesting choice, for it illustrates the bleakness of their existence in a colony ripe with unchecked male aggression but more could've been achieved with the camera. Still, what it lacks in cinematic qualities, it makes up in dramatic heft & strong emotional wallop, thanks to impressive work from the entire cast, ranging from Claire Foy's fierce rendition to Ben Whishaw's tender act, all enriching the narrative.
Overall, Women Talking is a timely, topical & thought-provoking drama that brims with hate, hurt & heartbreak in its illustration of the horrifying reality of female experience but there is also hope for a better future despite the agonising brutality of their past & present. Though there was more up for grabs which it fumbles with its very own creative choices, the commitment from the cast & searing intensity of their inputs makes it an essential viewing.
Helpful•6844
- CinemaClown
- Feb 25, 2023
- Permalink
A group of women from a small religious community discuss various violent acts, beatings and rape.
It is a heavy going watch, a film that manages to intrigue, sicken and inform. Some of the content, some of what you'll hear will genuinely lower your opinion on human nature, the harrowing acts some people can commit.
The best element for me, the acting, if I had to pick out a standout, I'd argue Claire Foy did a supreme job, but the likes of Ben Wishaw and Frances McDormand were excellent also.
I feel like it plays out like a stage play, I can only imagine how powerful some of the content would play out in a small, intimate theatre, one or two bits maybe get a little lost in translation onto the big screen.
I've read some very impressive reviews about this film, some people have spoken candidly about first hand experience of violence, that has clearly given them a different perspective on the film.
At times I felt a little bit like an outsider looking in, and sometimes I couldn't relate, or get into it, some of the sequences felt just a tad slow, some threads were explored but not tied up, I suppose that's just normal in such circumstances.
It's definitely a powerful time, and one that's very, very relevant in today's day and age, a time where women's rights seem to be being downplayed somewhat.
I would recommend it.
7/10.
It is a heavy going watch, a film that manages to intrigue, sicken and inform. Some of the content, some of what you'll hear will genuinely lower your opinion on human nature, the harrowing acts some people can commit.
The best element for me, the acting, if I had to pick out a standout, I'd argue Claire Foy did a supreme job, but the likes of Ben Wishaw and Frances McDormand were excellent also.
I feel like it plays out like a stage play, I can only imagine how powerful some of the content would play out in a small, intimate theatre, one or two bits maybe get a little lost in translation onto the big screen.
I've read some very impressive reviews about this film, some people have spoken candidly about first hand experience of violence, that has clearly given them a different perspective on the film.
At times I felt a little bit like an outsider looking in, and sometimes I couldn't relate, or get into it, some of the sequences felt just a tad slow, some threads were explored but not tied up, I suppose that's just normal in such circumstances.
It's definitely a powerful time, and one that's very, very relevant in today's day and age, a time where women's rights seem to be being downplayed somewhat.
I would recommend it.
7/10.
Helpful•3237
- Sleepin_Dragon
- Jul 15, 2023
- Permalink
Sarah Polley's 'Women Talking' did not work for me. This story of a group of women - all of whom belong to a U. S. religious sect in the 1960's - who are physically and emotionally abused by their menfolk / husbands, seems more like a dispassionate, politically correct lecture, than a dialogue between real people. Real people in pain. And it should not have had that effect. Particularly in these times when the news is filled with detailed descriptions of what real men do to real women.
Rooney Mara, Claire Foy, and. Jesse Buckley play three young women who had been drugged and sexually accosted, and who are now part of a 'commission' asked to decide what the community's women's next steps should be. Should they remain in the community and say / do nothing, remain and fight back, or pack up and leave? In making their decision, each of the three young women describes their lives and their reasons for voting as they do. Rooney Mara's character seems the most undecided, willing to see all sides of the argument and taking different positions over the course of the film. Claire Foy is angry and outspoken but I found it difficult to ascribe a preferred next-step to her. Jesse Buckley is the angriest and, at first, the most unwilling to leave her abusive husband, and it is that - her failure to realize how abused she is - that made me care less about her than I should.
Two senior women participate in the commission and one, played by Judith Ivey - made the strongest impression on me. She has the wisdom that comes with age and the ability to put it into words. Ben Whishaw as the one man invited to the commission brings a startling honesty to the proceedings; he more than anyone knows the evil men can do.
But for me, the film's 'failure' involves the three young women. There is a cold and distanced quality to their recitals. It is as though they are relating a film they saw, a book they read, rather than expressing the anger, the anxiety, the fear they all know very well.
I should have been moved. I should have been angered. I should have been relieved. But I was not.
Rooney Mara, Claire Foy, and. Jesse Buckley play three young women who had been drugged and sexually accosted, and who are now part of a 'commission' asked to decide what the community's women's next steps should be. Should they remain in the community and say / do nothing, remain and fight back, or pack up and leave? In making their decision, each of the three young women describes their lives and their reasons for voting as they do. Rooney Mara's character seems the most undecided, willing to see all sides of the argument and taking different positions over the course of the film. Claire Foy is angry and outspoken but I found it difficult to ascribe a preferred next-step to her. Jesse Buckley is the angriest and, at first, the most unwilling to leave her abusive husband, and it is that - her failure to realize how abused she is - that made me care less about her than I should.
Two senior women participate in the commission and one, played by Judith Ivey - made the strongest impression on me. She has the wisdom that comes with age and the ability to put it into words. Ben Whishaw as the one man invited to the commission brings a startling honesty to the proceedings; he more than anyone knows the evil men can do.
But for me, the film's 'failure' involves the three young women. There is a cold and distanced quality to their recitals. It is as though they are relating a film they saw, a book they read, rather than expressing the anger, the anxiety, the fear they all know very well.
I should have been moved. I should have been angered. I should have been relieved. But I was not.
Helpful•6191
This film affected me powerfully. My childhood was overshadowed by a volatile father of whose potential for violence we lived in fear. He wasn't a drunk, so, compared to many who lived and live in such circumstances, I guess I got off lightly. But my mother didn't. And this is what WOMEN TALKING suddenly brought back to me. The helplessness of her situation, at a time when divorce was hard to get unless you had money, and even then carried a shroud of shame.
On the day I write this, the Taliban in Afghanistan have banned women from universities. A woman's life in that country is structurally little different from that lived by the women depicted in Sarah Polley's film. It may have a period setting, but it could be many women's lives today.
WOMEN TALKING counterpoints beautiful expanses of farmland with unspeakable cruelties. Hymns are sung to help down howls of pain. The ensemble cast, which includes a couple of stunning performances by theatre veterans Judith Ivey and Sheila McCarthy, as well as several newcomers, is superb.
Excellent, urgent, important, unmissable.
On the day I write this, the Taliban in Afghanistan have banned women from universities. A woman's life in that country is structurally little different from that lived by the women depicted in Sarah Polley's film. It may have a period setting, but it could be many women's lives today.
WOMEN TALKING counterpoints beautiful expanses of farmland with unspeakable cruelties. Hymns are sung to help down howls of pain. The ensemble cast, which includes a couple of stunning performances by theatre veterans Judith Ivey and Sheila McCarthy, as well as several newcomers, is superb.
Excellent, urgent, important, unmissable.
Helpful•155126
Some films make you step back and think about your own life, your own morality and selfishness-and this one definitely did it for me. I was amazed by the depiction of these characters (who were loosely based on real life women), and the power they had to forgive and keep their faith. To have one of the greatest, if not the greatest, evils perpetrated against you and to be lied about the very crime, and yet to look forward with hope and love is something inspiring to say the least. And I don't think this film is just about gender. When August talks about teenage boys, he explains how they can indeed be dangerous, but that they also have tender and poignant emotions that need time and love to develop and be sustained. He sees hope in those boys. And in one of the most moving scenes in the film, when Ona is asked how she can stand having a rapist's baby inside her and actually love it, she explains how the baby is as innocent as all of us, just as the rapist was at the moment of his birth. Ona represents an undying optimism for humankind, one that is bolstered by her faith and ability to forgive, and I was certainly moved by her portrayal by Rooney Mara.
Some reviewers felt that the movie was slow and stagy, but I was thoroughly gripped with the drama and dialogue of the film. The performances are great, and the cinematography is focused and efficient at setting a somber mood with rays of beauty (like the time lapse of the setting sun, the children playing in the waves of grain, the starlit barn), and I believe Sarah Polley's decision to mute the color gradient was a smart one. Another aspect I found particularly effective was the score by Hildur-it was beautiful and tense, yet not overly sentimental, with minor key guitar strums that propelled the momentum of the one-day set film, while also creating a dreary and apprehensive mood as the women await their decision and fate.
Overall, I was moved and captivated by this film, enough that I wanted to write this review. And I can't say that for many movies.
Some reviewers felt that the movie was slow and stagy, but I was thoroughly gripped with the drama and dialogue of the film. The performances are great, and the cinematography is focused and efficient at setting a somber mood with rays of beauty (like the time lapse of the setting sun, the children playing in the waves of grain, the starlit barn), and I believe Sarah Polley's decision to mute the color gradient was a smart one. Another aspect I found particularly effective was the score by Hildur-it was beautiful and tense, yet not overly sentimental, with minor key guitar strums that propelled the momentum of the one-day set film, while also creating a dreary and apprehensive mood as the women await their decision and fate.
Overall, I was moved and captivated by this film, enough that I wanted to write this review. And I can't say that for many movies.
Helpful•911
- josiahliljequist
- Mar 10, 2023
- Permalink
You go to bed then wake up bruised, bloody, quite groggy and confused; you know instantly, that your body's been abused, your mind cannot conceive, all the torment and the grief, but you're not the only one, that's being used. So the women of the colony convene, to discuss the implications of what's been, carry on like there's no wrong, stay and fight which might prolong, or leave this place, put barriers between. The conversations, confrontations ebb and flow, the picture of what's taken place is shown, anguish, misery and despair, amongst a culture built on prayer, where the men have their own rules, their manifesto.
It's a wonderful piece of filmmaking that engages from the outset with great dialogue, a disturbing story, and an empowering conclusion - with outstanding performances throughout.
It's a wonderful piece of filmmaking that engages from the outset with great dialogue, a disturbing story, and an empowering conclusion - with outstanding performances throughout.
Helpful•10489
Women Talking is a timeless film that has a strongly feminist message, but also speaks from victims of unjustifiable injustices who never had a voice anywhere. Incredible as it may seem, the speech of these characters is so long ignored that it's represented by a rural group of women who apparently lived several decades ago. They speak out of fear, anger, revenge, but also from a sense of justice and equity.
The script is very direct, but also contains some metaphors worth appreciating. The great negative detail is the great religious charge existing in the film, even though I understand that this also plays a fundamental role.
This is a good film to encourage debate and conversations that rarely take place normally.
The technical aspects have a good level, although the soundtrack is one of the weakest links. But this is not the film to analyze technicalities. This is all about the clearly delivered message. It just hopes it has good listeners.
The script is very direct, but also contains some metaphors worth appreciating. The great negative detail is the great religious charge existing in the film, even though I understand that this also plays a fundamental role.
This is a good film to encourage debate and conversations that rarely take place normally.
The technical aspects have a good level, although the soundtrack is one of the weakest links. But this is not the film to analyze technicalities. This is all about the clearly delivered message. It just hopes it has good listeners.
Helpful•1319
- Movie_Rating_n_Ranking
- Feb 28, 2023
- Permalink
I'll admit up front that this is likely going to be an unpopular review and a decidedly minority opinion, but I have to be honest about my feelings. Writer-director Sarah Polley's adaptation of Miriam Toews's novel of the same name may come from a place of noble intent, and it may feature one of the year's finest acting ensembles, but its overall treatment is a major misfire. This fact-based story about a group of women from a conservative religious colony who meet to discuss how to respond to a series of sexual assaults in their community unfolds in a circular, wooden, stagey fashion that plays more like a university discussion group than a work of dramatic cinema. The ideas raised in these dialogues - ranging from activism to passivity to intergender relations to forgiveness to faith and salvation - are certainly lofty topics for consideration and deliberation, especially in terms of how they might be addressed in the forging of a new and better world. But their handling here is so forced and inauthentic that the entire exercise lacks believability and does little to foster a sense of concerted viewer engagement. And, as the narrative drones on and on, it becomes tediously dull, with one of the characters herself astutely observing that "This is very, very boring" (well said, if a bit ironic). What's more, a number of incidents and themes seemingly arise out of nowhere and aren't always fully resolved, making one wonder why they were included in the first place. Even more disappointing is the fact that the film features so many fine portrayals by performers who are given such stilted material to work with, including Jessie Buckley, Claire Foy, Judith Ivey, Sheila McCarthy, Ben Whishaw and Frances McDormand (whose appearance is more of an afterthought than anything else). Director Polley has certainly made a name for herself with such excellent past works as "Away From Her" (2006), but her reach has certainly exceeded her grasp with this undertaking, one that has much to say but ultimately says so little.
Helpful•451216
- brentsbulletinboard
- Dec 31, 2022
- Permalink
Helpful•10799
This movie was about a woman sleeping alone in bed who wakes to find bruises and wounds on her hips and upper inner thighs-injuries sustained from rape. Women Talking was based on a novel at the same name. It was about The Bolivian Mennonite gas-facilitated rapes refers to mass serial rapes by a group of men over at least four years in the Bolivian Mennonite settlement of Manitoba Colony. At least nine male members of the colony sprayed a veterinary sedative through window screens to render whole households unconscious. They then entered homes and raped the residents, particularly women and girls (but also small children). The minimum number of known victims stands at 151. Many victims were raped on multiple occasions. The youngest victim was three years old, the oldest was 65. Multiple victims were pregnant and one delivered an extremely premature baby after going into labor following a rape. There are believed to have been both adult and child male victims as well, but none were publicly identified. The perpetrators were in some cases blood relatives of the victims, the crimes thus including incestuous abuse.
Helpful•55
Helpful•15495
Shockingly horrible events, great chance for the oppressed to overcome obstacles, distinctive characters, powerful messages to women, philosophical questions to ponder upon.. 'Women Talking' has all components to mesmerize audience, especially me. Continuation of endless dialogues heading to destination very slowly is too difficult for me I guess?
Strangely, there are many strengths in this film. At first, I thought the story is set in late 1700s, and women are pilgrims or something. It shows how much religion can oppress even time. Throughout the movie, it inspires great philosophical questions, for example, "Is 'the truth will set you free' really true?": "Who gives power, a giver or a receiver?": "Will they pass the violence back onto man or not?" I also like that all generations of women participate in the meeting. The past is forgiven rather than forgotten; at the same time, audience can feel hopeful seeing the girls gaining more voice in the process.
However, most importantly, it's just hard to like 'Women Talking'
*We didn't talk about our bodies. So when something like this happened there was no language for it. And without language for it, there was a gaping silence. And in that gaping silence was the real horror.
Strangely, there are many strengths in this film. At first, I thought the story is set in late 1700s, and women are pilgrims or something. It shows how much religion can oppress even time. Throughout the movie, it inspires great philosophical questions, for example, "Is 'the truth will set you free' really true?": "Who gives power, a giver or a receiver?": "Will they pass the violence back onto man or not?" I also like that all generations of women participate in the meeting. The past is forgiven rather than forgotten; at the same time, audience can feel hopeful seeing the girls gaining more voice in the process.
However, most importantly, it's just hard to like 'Women Talking'
*We didn't talk about our bodies. So when something like this happened there was no language for it. And without language for it, there was a gaping silence. And in that gaping silence was the real horror.
Helpful•914
- TaylorYee94
- Feb 23, 2023
- Permalink
For more than just its subject matter, Women Talking can be a challenging viewing experience. Covering a topic like this will always lead to a divided response, however when your film lacks a lot of forward momentum and it looks like you set color grading to monochrome, it becomes an even bigger uphill climb. I understand the color is intentional, but it didn't work for me. The story also can drag a bit when you realize 20 minutes in exactly where it's going. I must say I didn't expect the shortest Oscar film this year to be the one that lagged the most.
I do appreciate the photography, I just wish it wasn't so lifeless. The cast is also outstanding and it's hard to pinpoint one person in particular that stood out. My pick would probably be Rooney Mara. I also appreciated casting the sweetest man on the planet, Ben Whishaw, in his role. The dialogue is well-written, however it just feels a bit pointless at times with the story direction.
I do appreciate the photography, I just wish it wasn't so lifeless. The cast is also outstanding and it's hard to pinpoint one person in particular that stood out. My pick would probably be Rooney Mara. I also appreciated casting the sweetest man on the planet, Ben Whishaw, in his role. The dialogue is well-written, however it just feels a bit pointless at times with the story direction.
Helpful•710
It's an ensemble drama set within 24 hours in 2010 in an unknown location. It follows the conversation of three generations of women discussing how to respond to the sexual abuse and rape experienced by many women in the colony over the previous years.
The conversation occurs while the colony's men are away in the city, raising bail for colony men arrested for sexual crimes. Eight women participate in most of the discussion. Two grandmother matriarchs are Agata (Judith Ivey) and Greta (Sheila McCarthy). The next generation includes Ona (Rooney Mara), an unmarried woman pregnant with a child resulting from rape. Mariche (Jessie Buckley) is married to a very abusive husband. Salome (Clare Foy) is Ona's younger married sister who is very angry over the abuse of her young daughter. Some girls from the next generation provide comments and some narration to the film. Scarface Janz (Frances McDormand), another matriarch, leaves the discussion early. Since the women are illiterate (only boys go to school), they ask the schoolteacher, August (Ben Whishaw), to record their discussion. August, who had left the colony with his mother, was university-educated but was allowed to return to teach school.
The film shows no sexual violence but does show some results of the violence. The only adult male face seen throughout is that of August. The women discuss three options: staying and forgiving the perpetrators, staying and fighting the perpetrators, or leaving with all the children under a certain age. They must make a quick decision because one of the men is returning from the city in the evening. The decision taken by the group is a very "Mennonite" one.
I had a lot of ambivalence going into the film. I didn't like the novel when I read it several years ago. The author closely tied the story to accounts of crimes in one of Bolivia's very conservative Mennonite groups. However, the novel's nuanced dialogue was far beyond illiterate Mennonite women without education who could not even read a map. And a university-educated August would never be allowed back to teach in such a conservative colony.
Sarah Polley extracts the story from Mennonite specificity (the film never mentions the word and doesn't mention "Mennonite" last names). Polley uses very subdued colors in the filming, reinforcing the conservative impression. Although the movie's setting still looks Mennonite, its greater abstraction allowed me to focus on the issues being discussed--rage, forced ignorance, the necessity of faith and how to reconcile this faith with what happened, how best to embody their pacifist ethic, etc. The discussion is wide-ranging and doesn't provide easy and ready solutions. Rooney Mara, Claire Foy, and Jessie Buckley are excellent as they express contrasting and shifting perspectives.
"Women Talking" probably needs to be seen multiple times to get all the layers. The Mennonite context sells the movie, but for me, it only made sense to push that representation to the rear. I wish critics would focus on it less. The film's ending unfolds a little too slowly once their decision has been made.
The conversation occurs while the colony's men are away in the city, raising bail for colony men arrested for sexual crimes. Eight women participate in most of the discussion. Two grandmother matriarchs are Agata (Judith Ivey) and Greta (Sheila McCarthy). The next generation includes Ona (Rooney Mara), an unmarried woman pregnant with a child resulting from rape. Mariche (Jessie Buckley) is married to a very abusive husband. Salome (Clare Foy) is Ona's younger married sister who is very angry over the abuse of her young daughter. Some girls from the next generation provide comments and some narration to the film. Scarface Janz (Frances McDormand), another matriarch, leaves the discussion early. Since the women are illiterate (only boys go to school), they ask the schoolteacher, August (Ben Whishaw), to record their discussion. August, who had left the colony with his mother, was university-educated but was allowed to return to teach school.
The film shows no sexual violence but does show some results of the violence. The only adult male face seen throughout is that of August. The women discuss three options: staying and forgiving the perpetrators, staying and fighting the perpetrators, or leaving with all the children under a certain age. They must make a quick decision because one of the men is returning from the city in the evening. The decision taken by the group is a very "Mennonite" one.
I had a lot of ambivalence going into the film. I didn't like the novel when I read it several years ago. The author closely tied the story to accounts of crimes in one of Bolivia's very conservative Mennonite groups. However, the novel's nuanced dialogue was far beyond illiterate Mennonite women without education who could not even read a map. And a university-educated August would never be allowed back to teach in such a conservative colony.
Sarah Polley extracts the story from Mennonite specificity (the film never mentions the word and doesn't mention "Mennonite" last names). Polley uses very subdued colors in the filming, reinforcing the conservative impression. Although the movie's setting still looks Mennonite, its greater abstraction allowed me to focus on the issues being discussed--rage, forced ignorance, the necessity of faith and how to reconcile this faith with what happened, how best to embody their pacifist ethic, etc. The discussion is wide-ranging and doesn't provide easy and ready solutions. Rooney Mara, Claire Foy, and Jessie Buckley are excellent as they express contrasting and shifting perspectives.
"Women Talking" probably needs to be seen multiple times to get all the layers. The Mennonite context sells the movie, but for me, it only made sense to push that representation to the rear. I wish critics would focus on it less. The film's ending unfolds a little too slowly once their decision has been made.
Helpful•9588
- steiner-sam
- Jan 21, 2023
- Permalink
Helpful•710
- harry_tk_yung
- Feb 27, 2023
- Permalink
- bennytonyaolan
- Oct 28, 2022
- Permalink
Helpful•1018
- classicsoncall
- Mar 2, 2023
- Permalink
I wouldn't normally bother to come on here and speak the negatives because, well, who cares? But as there are so few doing it I have to lend my voice. Beautifully well shot and acted, this is easily the dullest time I have had at the cinema in this, admittedly short, 2023 so far. With the splendid reviews (thanks Jim Schembri for being the lone voice on RT) and the stellar cast I was really looking forward to it, and to be fair the visuals and the initial mystery, plus the intriguing, horrid flashes of the crimes being referred to, did hold me fast for the first act. But alas, the second act was merely a repetition of the first, with the same boring conversation ongoing, that stellar cast merely masking the fact that these characters are as paper thin as any from a junky superhero movie. It got no better as it crept sombrely towards the finale, which couldn't have come sooner for me. It does what it says on the tin, so if you'd like to see some women talking, about the same thing, in a barn, for an hour and three quarters, fill your boots.
A few marks for the acting, the score (which really was clever - what a waste) and the cinematography: 4/10.
A few marks for the acting, the score (which really was clever - what a waste) and the cinematography: 4/10.
Helpful•192140
Helpful•5048
"Freedom is good; it is better than slavery. Forgiveness is good; it is better than revenge. And hope of the unknown is good; it is better than hatred of the familiar"
'Women Talking' is a meticulously constructed and masterfully acted drama that has so much relevance and importance even to this day! Quite a daring piece of art that fearlessly speaks of all the systematic oppression and limitless barbarity against women that was previously seen as the 'norm' of a 'thriving' society and civilisation; Shame!
A never-ending pit of intoxicated patriarchy and fragile masculinity that led to unimaginable sufferings for countless women all over the world, back when women were merely regarded as objects of vile desire and violent urges of Men, left in the lurch with their mouths shut and rights and liberty taken away, 'Women Talking' not only shed some light into that dark era but also attempts to scrutinise what exactly had led their path to this unendurable situation.
And I admire how the writing has given space to each values and vision without conspicuously leaning on one specific, singular aspect, and I also happen to admire how the screenplay here balances out all feasible perceptions and comes to a firm resolve by the end, notwithstanding the fact that I was kind of disappointed in the way in which it had drawn the curtains.
P. S. Whilst the entire cast had contributed to the film in quite equal measure, it's Jessie Buckley and Claire Foy, who stood out in my humble opinion, What a tremendously talented pair we've got! Absolute pleasure to see them perform!
'Women Talking' is a meticulously constructed and masterfully acted drama that has so much relevance and importance even to this day! Quite a daring piece of art that fearlessly speaks of all the systematic oppression and limitless barbarity against women that was previously seen as the 'norm' of a 'thriving' society and civilisation; Shame!
A never-ending pit of intoxicated patriarchy and fragile masculinity that led to unimaginable sufferings for countless women all over the world, back when women were merely regarded as objects of vile desire and violent urges of Men, left in the lurch with their mouths shut and rights and liberty taken away, 'Women Talking' not only shed some light into that dark era but also attempts to scrutinise what exactly had led their path to this unendurable situation.
And I admire how the writing has given space to each values and vision without conspicuously leaning on one specific, singular aspect, and I also happen to admire how the screenplay here balances out all feasible perceptions and comes to a firm resolve by the end, notwithstanding the fact that I was kind of disappointed in the way in which it had drawn the curtains.
P. S. Whilst the entire cast had contributed to the film in quite equal measure, it's Jessie Buckley and Claire Foy, who stood out in my humble opinion, What a tremendously talented pair we've got! Absolute pleasure to see them perform!
Helpful•814
- SoumikBanerjee1996
- Mar 3, 2023
- Permalink
As "Women Talking" (2022 release; 108 min.), we are introduced to a group of women ranging from young girls to the elderly, as they deal with a series of rapes and attacks from the men in their isolated religious community. The elderly woman reminds them to forgive the attackers, lest the women be expelled from the colony and hence ne denied access to heaven. In a vote on what to do, it is a tie between "stay and fight" and "leave". The women debate what to do... At this point we are 10 minutes into the film.
Couple of comments: this is the latest from writer-director Sarah Polley ("Stories We Tell"). Here she brings us the true story of how a group of women in a remote colony in Bolivia deals with the horrible events that have happened to them. I love Polley's earlier work, and based on the movie's trailer and the strong endorsement by a friend who just saw it, I went into this with high expectations. Alas, it didn't work out very well. I guess I should've taken a hint from the movie's title, but it's really exactly that: a group of women talking (about staying and fighting, or leaving), for the entire freaking movie! I feel very let down, if not manipulated, by the movie's trailer, which gave no indication that this is at its core a filmed stage play, where we watch a group of women debating on their next steps after suffering unspeakable crimes. I fully realize that watching this type of movie is a very subjective experience. Unfortunately I couldn't get into it AT ALL.
"Women Speaking" opened in limited US theaters in late December so as to qualify for the Oscars, and now has been rolled out. The Sunday matinee theater screening where I saw this at was attend so-so (I counted about 10-12 people, the vast majority of them women). "Women Speaking" garnered 2 Oscar nominations (Best Movie, Best Adapted Movie Script). If you are in the mood for a very different type of movie, where you watch a group of women talking, and then talking some more, I'd readily suggest you check this out, and draw your own conclusion.
Couple of comments: this is the latest from writer-director Sarah Polley ("Stories We Tell"). Here she brings us the true story of how a group of women in a remote colony in Bolivia deals with the horrible events that have happened to them. I love Polley's earlier work, and based on the movie's trailer and the strong endorsement by a friend who just saw it, I went into this with high expectations. Alas, it didn't work out very well. I guess I should've taken a hint from the movie's title, but it's really exactly that: a group of women talking (about staying and fighting, or leaving), for the entire freaking movie! I feel very let down, if not manipulated, by the movie's trailer, which gave no indication that this is at its core a filmed stage play, where we watch a group of women debating on their next steps after suffering unspeakable crimes. I fully realize that watching this type of movie is a very subjective experience. Unfortunately I couldn't get into it AT ALL.
"Women Speaking" opened in limited US theaters in late December so as to qualify for the Oscars, and now has been rolled out. The Sunday matinee theater screening where I saw this at was attend so-so (I counted about 10-12 people, the vast majority of them women). "Women Speaking" garnered 2 Oscar nominations (Best Movie, Best Adapted Movie Script). If you are in the mood for a very different type of movie, where you watch a group of women talking, and then talking some more, I'd readily suggest you check this out, and draw your own conclusion.
Helpful•133127
- paul-allaer
- Jan 29, 2023
- Permalink
I was frustrated by the lack of context. Despite the centrality of language as self-conscious, discourse, and deliberation, there is no clear sense of ground-breaking radicality given the lack of contrast and the absence of any emotional build-up. The movie throws us into a lively discussion where every woman is strikingly lucid, articulate, and speaks freely of her mind with unshakable conviction. This in itself is hard to square with their misguided view on religiosity and spirituality. The lack of context also undermines the merit of their discussion as showcasing ''the women's long-suppressed wisdom, their long-stifled self-consciousness, their hitherto-unrecognized eloquence, their self-creation.'' (Richard Brody, 2023) Their discussion undoubtedly oozes wisdom, self-consciousness, eloquence, and self-creation, perhaps too much so. But without context, this abundance of wisdom and eloquence, out of thin air, lacks emotional and intellectual gravity and moral seriousness.
The premise that these women must choose between survival and spirituality (Justin Chang, 2023) is unsound. These are not the options. Their understanding of religious piety and what constitutes reverence are based purely on the men's version, designed for brainwashing, intimidation, and control. The stakes are undoubtedly high, but the core of their struggle is for freedom, independence, agency, self respect, not survival. But the movie has little to say about what the choice really is between. What must the women leave behind were they to leave, and what makes it difficult for them to let go? What does it mean to love and care about one's abuser? Why is it terrifying to leave? What shaped their fear? And what does it mean to stay and fight, beyond choosing the certainty of a colony they know (but also hate)? The discussion of justice is also strikingly absent, though there is some superficial mentioning of forgiveness and how it must come spontaneously and with some distance. Does forgiveness render justice unnecessary? Why does leaving sound like a defeat? What makes it not defeat, or rather the opposite of defeat? Someone mentions that leaving is not fleeing, but the conversation ends there.
The gap between the particulars of their debate and the premise makes it rather unsatisfying and almost frivolous. The premise is life and death; their real choices are between the emotional certainty (and thus comfort) in continued conformity and subjection, AND self liberation through either violence or departure. The rich empowerment that lies in the third choice is phrased as choosing forgiveness over revenge, which entirely circumvent what I believe to be the most worthy theme, that is, the moral strength required of one in making the decision to leave.
Film critic Peter Bradshaw, while lamenting that "film's rather abstract conversation doesn't convey much in the way of urgency or specificity," concedes that "there is a sustained moral seriousness in Polley's work, a willingness to confront pain." Yet the movie is more evasive about the central struggle than taking it head on. I find myself in more agreement with Roger Ebert's Sheila O'Malley, who writes that "while the debate is fascinating in its particulars-and could be used as a model for debate practice-there's something rather formal in the result, betraying the artifice of the original source. The women in Bolivia were heroic for coming forward to testify against their rapists (men they knew) in court, and in so doing they broke with every tradition they knew. They put themselves 'beyond the pale' of their own conditioning and told their stories in front of the world. Their act took tremendous courage. Toews' made-up debate seems like an intellectual exercise in comparison." And sadly not even a rigorous or invigorating one.
The premise that these women must choose between survival and spirituality (Justin Chang, 2023) is unsound. These are not the options. Their understanding of religious piety and what constitutes reverence are based purely on the men's version, designed for brainwashing, intimidation, and control. The stakes are undoubtedly high, but the core of their struggle is for freedom, independence, agency, self respect, not survival. But the movie has little to say about what the choice really is between. What must the women leave behind were they to leave, and what makes it difficult for them to let go? What does it mean to love and care about one's abuser? Why is it terrifying to leave? What shaped their fear? And what does it mean to stay and fight, beyond choosing the certainty of a colony they know (but also hate)? The discussion of justice is also strikingly absent, though there is some superficial mentioning of forgiveness and how it must come spontaneously and with some distance. Does forgiveness render justice unnecessary? Why does leaving sound like a defeat? What makes it not defeat, or rather the opposite of defeat? Someone mentions that leaving is not fleeing, but the conversation ends there.
The gap between the particulars of their debate and the premise makes it rather unsatisfying and almost frivolous. The premise is life and death; their real choices are between the emotional certainty (and thus comfort) in continued conformity and subjection, AND self liberation through either violence or departure. The rich empowerment that lies in the third choice is phrased as choosing forgiveness over revenge, which entirely circumvent what I believe to be the most worthy theme, that is, the moral strength required of one in making the decision to leave.
Film critic Peter Bradshaw, while lamenting that "film's rather abstract conversation doesn't convey much in the way of urgency or specificity," concedes that "there is a sustained moral seriousness in Polley's work, a willingness to confront pain." Yet the movie is more evasive about the central struggle than taking it head on. I find myself in more agreement with Roger Ebert's Sheila O'Malley, who writes that "while the debate is fascinating in its particulars-and could be used as a model for debate practice-there's something rather formal in the result, betraying the artifice of the original source. The women in Bolivia were heroic for coming forward to testify against their rapists (men they knew) in court, and in so doing they broke with every tradition they knew. They put themselves 'beyond the pale' of their own conditioning and told their stories in front of the world. Their act took tremendous courage. Toews' made-up debate seems like an intellectual exercise in comparison." And sadly not even a rigorous or invigorating one.
Helpful•44
- lobotomychic
- Mar 11, 2023
- Permalink