Women Talking

⭐ 6.0/10

(Originally written by Tim)

Much like the only man in this movie, my job should be to sit and listen and not to give opinions. But this is WeView, so here comes the man who is like "woman talking is boring" and wants to tell you all the reasons why.

So this one is about a Mennonite colony where the women are being raped by the men and they get together in a barn to decide whether they should stay and fight back, stay and seek forgiveness for their accusations so they can get into heaven, or flee. This is a great setup, and I was very optimistic that seeing this through the eyes of Mennonites would be provocative and moving, especially as a Mennonite. Well I hate to break it to you, but these women might as well be from any culture. The interesting parts of Mennonites being faced with this predicament, like their relationships with God and pacifism and a history of fleeing, are barely touched on. They look the part, and the setting was convincing, but hearing a bunch of women wax poetically in perfect english took me right out of the Mennonite culture they were trying to put you in.

I know why they did this. These women are trapped and disconnected and have nowhere to turn but to each other, I just didn't think it was used effectively at all. Early on a voiceover tells us that they never talk about their bodies with each other, so they have no language to talk about these attacks. This is an interesting idea. Then there is an hour and a half where each woman gets a chance to monologue about what they think they should do, telling deep anecdotes to prove points.

I should give it some credit, there are moments where pacifism and faith are brought up, but they are not nearly as central to the conceit as I thought they should be. These were my favourite moments, where my mind started thinking about what faith and forgiveness look like in this position, how I would reconcile this. My true queen Claire Foy gives a standout monologue around this and her refusal to forgive that was very moving, and I was hoping that would be the whole movie. But another flaw is that all the names are confusing so I can't track the important relationships they have with each other (mothers and daughters) or their ever-changing stances on the issue they are debating. But ya, they sing hymns a couple times or say prayers to remind you of their faith, but I was shocked how little it played in at the end. Again, why make them Mennonite?

Maybe I am the man who can't relate to these issues. Men are basically absent in this movie, with the major exception being Ben Wishaw's character, who is keeping minutes for these meetings. I'm not going to be the guy who says the only male character in the movie is the best character, but he does a good job balancing the conversations when they seek his input, as a gentle and educated teacher he is kind of the movie's way of saying not all men are evil. He is also in love with one of the victims, an interesting dynamic that felt like it had a lot of potential.

I did think the final scene was powerful, the image of a pilgrimage in search of a better future for the next generation. The setting and dresses made me think of the fantastic vignette from The Ballad of Buster Scruggs, where a similar exodus is happening as Americans travelled west, and the lack of autonomy women had there compared to in this movie. Also made me think of Noah's arc a little bit, attempting to purge a bad generation and raise up a better one, but that felt like my own generous connection because of my own religious connections. Another positive was the score, and when I looked it up she also composed by beloved Tar! So that's awesome.

This movie starts by saying that this is an act of female imagination. It's based on a book which is based on true events, so I take that to mean these debates never happened but in an ideal world they should have. There is also a moment in the film that I think is supposed to be a twist, but you find out the year is 2010, and not in the distant past (something that was not a shock at all to someone who has old colony relatives and lives near amish people, I never assumed this was the past). So they used Mennonites since this is based on a story from a real Mennonite colony, but I found the imagined reactions a bit forced, completely un-Mennonite. There are several modern movies/shows that tell similar stories, the abuse women face and the struggle to have their voices heard, in much more compelling ways. I May Destroy You comes to mind, or even the recent Fleishman is in Trouble. Expect a long review about that gem shortly, but that show starts off as a sad divorced dad story and ends in a devastating depiction of the trauma abuse like this can cause.  

So I guess the main complaint is that they used Mennonites for their distinctive and disconnected lifestyle (and because of real life events) but didn't use any of the more definitional characteristics in any meaningful way. Great acting all around, but ya, this movie was a bit dull (visually and story-wise) with dialogue written like a Rupi Kaur poem. Okay not that bad.

I would love it if others on here watched this movie and disagreed with me. I went in with an open heart after hearing the director talk about the movie and her own experiences, and I don't think her care and insightfulness made it across onto the screen for me unfortunately. I think it's cool to see Mennonites on screen (even if not Mennonite actors), and it is obviously attempting to wrestle with a contemporary but also timeless problem. I would love to be proven wrong about this one.