Women Talking [Includes Digital Copy] [Blu-ray/DVD]

Director: Sarah Polley Sarah Polley

Overview

Based on Miriam Toews' novel, the drama centers on a group of women living in a secluded religious community. After experiencing a series of domestic and sexual abuse incidents, the women must confront the men who hurt them and endure the consequences of the choices they make. They face a complicated conundrum of commitment, faith, and self-preservation. Starring Claire Foy, Rooney Mara, Jessie Buckley, and Frances McDormand. The film premiered at the Telluride Film Festival.

Product Details

Release Date:	03/07/2023
UPC:	0191329241196
Original Release:	2023
Rating:	PG-13
Source:	Mgm (Video & Dvd)
Language:	English
Time:	1:45:00
Sales rank:	41,468

Cast & Crew

Performance Credits

Rooney Mara	Ona
Judith Ivey	Agata
Emily Mitchell	Miep
Kate Hallett	Autje
Liv McNeil	Neitje
Claire Foy	Salome
Sheila McCarthy	Greta
Jessie Buckley	Mariche
Michelle McLeod	Mejal
Kira Guloien	Anna
Shayla Brown	Helena
Frances McDormand	Scarface Janz
Vivien Endicott-Douglas	Clara(as Vivien Endicott-Douglas)
Ben Whishaw	August
August Winter	Melvin
Lochlan Ray Miller	Julius(as Lochlan Miller)
Nathaniel McParland	Aaron
Will Bowes	Census Driver,Census Driver
Eli Ham	Klaas
Emily Drake	Dark Haired Woman
Marcus Craig	Cornelius
Caroline Gillis	Woman on the Path
Hildur Gudnadottir	Composer

Technical Credits

Sarah Polley

Miriam Toews

Sarah Polley	Screenwriter,Director
Miriam Toews	Screenwriter
Emily Jade Foley	Executive Producer
Lyn Lucibello	Executive Producer
Brad Pitt	Executive Producer,Producer
Dede Gardner	Producer
Jeremy Kleiner	Producer
Frances McDormand	Producer
John Buchan	Casting
Jason Knight	Casting

Editorial Reviews

Women Talking, written, and directed by Sarah Polley (Stories We Tell), should come with a trigger warning for those sensitive to themes of sexual assault. This recounts a true story, based on the fictionalized novel by Miriam Toews, exploring life in a religious community and the aftermath of the assaults on women and girls. In Women Talking, two men in jail for rape are being bailed out by other men in the town, leaving the women alone. Much of Women Talking takes place over 24 hours in a barn, light shifting through the windows as the women contemplate, persuade, debate and talk. They each make impossible decisions to take agency over their lives. Sarah Polley has assembled a dynamic cast that deftly handles her dialogue-heavy script. Frances McDormand (Nomadland) briefly makes an appearance that makes an audience yearn for more, Jessie Buckley (I'm Thinking of Ending Things) as Mariche gives a sorrowful performance and Claire Foy (The Crown) as Salome tackles the patriarchy and the material, making the audience forget any of her past performances and setting a personal best. Rooney Mara (The Girl with the Dragon Tattoo, Carol) as Ona, a mother vowing revenge for the injury of her 4-year-old daughter, is particularly impactful. As she rails against God, an audience can feel her impassioned cry. Ben Whishaw (No Time to Die) plays a schoolteacher who attends the meeting to take the minutes as none of the women can read or write. He can do nothing to help any of the women and gives a heart-wrenching performance. Viewers are also helpless, and the plight of these women played so realistically by these actresses adds to the emotional devastation. The script is captivating. Not a moment is wasted, and the comparisons the film has received to the great one-room drama 12 Angry Men are spot on. Polley proves that it is possible to keep an audience riveted with just debate. It is a film for adults who love to listen, and Polley has made it easy to do so. The actors' diction is crystal clear, no one mumbles, and there is no whisper of "what did she say?" or over-produced special effects. It is film as a discussion. In an untenable situation, Polley lays out the question: Do I stay or do I leave? This type of film will have audiences questioning truth, morality, and how we listen to each other. The running time is 104 minutes.