Ten years have passed since Sarah Polley’s last feature length movie, Stories We Tell.
With her new film, WOMEN TALKING, the decade wait has been more than worth it.
Nominated for a brace of Oscars, Best Film and Best Adapted Screenplay, written by Polley and Miriam Toews, the author of the book which is the source material of the film, WOMEN TALKING boasts an exemplary script, assured shooting style and an ensemble cast par excellence.
The women talking are members of a religious community where perversion has penetrated the patriarchy. Rape and abuse have been visited upon the community. The men have smelt the smoke but denied the fire.
The talking that these women engage in is conjured by these actions and the talking is a call to action.
It’s a monumental debate, an argument of heated passion and cool intellect.
WOMEN TALKING reminded me somewhat of The Crucible, with its fierce narrative thrill of finely rendered dialogue and philosophical argument.
Lines like “Leaving is not fleeing” and “Forgiveness should not be misinterpreted as permission” and “Stay and fight and attract violence or leave for peace.” resonate thunderously when one considers the patriarchal power and control in religious communities from Taliban to Vatican. Or for warring nations in general, for that matter.
Frances McDormand, Rooney Mara, Claire Foy, Jessie Buckley, Judith Ivey and more wield Polley’s script like an incomparable dramatic weapon.
And to show that not all men are bastards, Ben Whishaw portrays a sympathetic and emphatically empathetic male, supportive of the women’s debate and decisions.
Only two Oscar nominations short changed WOMEN TALKING, even though one of them is for Best Film of the Year. Luc Montpellier’s muted lensing is superb, as is Peter Cosco’s production design.
Hildur Gudnadottir’s score is perfect and the Polley’s choice to include Daydream Believer by The Monkees is inspired.
