‘Women Talking’ review: powerful and distressing drama cuts to the bone

The #MeToo movement might have become a buzzword to some, but in truth it remains a lived reality for so many. It’s a complex, timeless issue, and some recent films have failed to honour the injustices and forced silences faced by women for decades. Thankfully new drama Women Talking, recently nominated for two Oscars, is a beacon of light leading the conversation.

Adapted by director Sarah Polley from Miriam Toews’ 2018 novel of the same name, the film is loosely based on the real-life events that took place in a Bolivian colony during the mid to late 2000s – which saw many of the women there drugged and raped by the men of the colony. In Women Talking, those affected meet in a hayloft to decide what to do next: leave, stay and fight, or do nothing.

Much of the film simply recounts the conversations these women have – a brave and defiant group led with vigour by Claire Foy, Jessie Buckley and Rooney Mara – but the specificity of Toews and Polley’s screenplay cuts to the bone. Polley has always been articulate on sexual abuse and misconduct against women and girls, having written about her own difficult experiences as a child actor, and here brings sensitivity and much-needed levity to a harrowing story.

The characters discuss faith, resentment, hope, loyalty, family and equality. Already rich and surprising on the page, their dialogue becomes even more urgent when spoken out loud. Buckley proves again that she is a once in a generation talent. Foy is brilliant as Salome, a furious young mother in the colony. And even Ben Whishaw’s character, the only good male character in a film where men do unspeakable things, is heartbreaking in how much he cares about the women’s suffering. Watching the film feels like having your skull cracked open.

It’s in the education and care of younger generations that Women Talking earns its lasting legacy. Feminist teachings can so often be tinged with righteousness or performativity, without really offering much of a way forward. Polley infuses the film with her trademark empathy, as well as a laser-focused attention to detail (see Take This Waltz or documentary Stories We Tell for more of this), to offer a portrait of sexual violence against women that also considers the future.

The washed-out visuals and culturally-appropriate costume design might suggest Women Talking as something of a period piece, or a far-removed fictional story, but from the second you decide to listen to what’s being said (as well as the breathtaking score from Oscar-winning Joker composer Hildur Guðnadóttir) it’s impossible to remain unmoved. Anyone who has ever loved a woman, or wanted to help one, will find Women Talking essential viewing.