Women Talking

Please note this film is being screened as part of the Woodbridge Film Society's 2023/2024 season and is therefore not open to the general public. You can read more about becoming a member here.

Sarah Polley (Stories We Tell) is joined by a stellar cast for this stylish and ambitiously conceived adaptation of Miriam Toews’ bestseller about abuse and solidarity.

In a remote Mennonite community, women have been waking from sleep bruised and battered, some are pregnant. Religious leaders argue it’s God’s punishment for their sins. But when one wakes to find an attacker in her room, the horrible truth comes out. In a sunlit barn, the women debate: will they stay, as is expected, and forgive their attackers? Fury, fear, resignation, obedience, hope – each woman, though dressed alike in the unadorned style of the community, expresses a different view. Polley’s direction is perfectly calibrated and precise, with the flow of speech choreographed, and delivered like a dance by her gifted cast (Frances McDormand, Jessie Buckley, Rooney Mara, Claire Foy, to name a few). Despite their lack of formal education, the women are sharply articulate; big ideas, explored in intimate spaces. And while their experience is culturally specific, the film speaks universally.

Programme Type: Film

Strand Type: WFS

Director: Sarah Polley

Cast: Rooney Mara, Claire Foy, Jessie Buckley, Ben Whishaw, Frances McDormand

Certificate: 15

Running Time: 104 minutes