by Matt St Clair
After the masterful Stories We Tell (2012), the wait for Sarah Polley’s follow-up directorial picture has been agonizing. She’s long since proven herself a gifted actress, but watching her expertly blur the line between fact and fiction in that acclaimed docudrama begged the question of when, and how, she would wow us againwith her directorial skills. Thankfully, she not only has finally made a follow-up project, but one that is more than worth the wait...
Based on the 2018 novel by Miriam Toews of the same name, Women Talking follows a group of Mennonite women reconciling their faith as they deal with an epidemic of sexual assaults at the hands of various men in their colony. After one of the men is put on trial, the women in the colony are forced to decide their next move: Do nothing and forgive the men? Stay and fight them? Leave their home to create a new life? Once the vote becomes split, eight women within the colony must gather together to make a final decision. All eight women go through a cycle of clashing and forgiveness as they hold the fate of the community's entire female populace in their hands, discussing their own harrowing experiences in the process.
Caught in the middle is schoolteacher August (Ben Whishaw) who pencils notes of the gathering as it takes place since the women are unable to read. As August grapples with witnessing the various generations of women recalling their past trauma and deciding their next move, Whishaw gives a moving performance full of sensitivity and reserve.
As good as Whishaw is, the movie still belongs to its titular women. The ensemble is shattering and pitch-perfect. Best in show is Claire Foy as Salome, a woman who stubbornly chooses the “stay and fight” option. Foy’s big monologue where she unleashes Salome’s fury and hysteria over wanting to combat the men even if it means risking losing God’s love is one of the film’s most memorable scenes. Jessie Buckley is also incredible as Mariche whose sardonic facade masks her own crushing turmoil. Her facade peels apart as the movie progresses. But everyone in the cast delivers including Rooney Mara, Sheila McCarthy, Judith Ivey, and Frances McDormand (in a small role). We have a potential frontrunner for every possible Best Ensemble prize.
As for the laudable technical aspects, there’s the granular cinematography by DP Luc Montpellier (Away From Her, Cairo Time) which symbolizes the grayness of the situation these women are in. But most of all, praise should go to the score by Oscar winner Hildur Guonadottir which acts as its own character. It's serene during moments of levity and like something out of a suspense thriller during sequences with heightened dramatic tension, the music always syncs in with the tonal variations of the scenework. It is both haunting and affecting just like the overall picture.
Startling, hopeful, and slightly humorous all at once, Women Talking is a confronting yet poetic depiction of trauma and faith. It's further proof of Sarah Polley is a directorial force to be reckoned with. A
Women Talking is currently screening in the Special Presentations section at TIFF 2022. It opens in limited release in the US on December 2nd.