The Canadian film industry isn’t as massive as the Americans, but we definitely have our notable films and filmmakers. Two that usually come to mind are Atom Egoyan and David Cronenberg. If you were to ask people about Canadian film, those are the ones that they will most definitely bring up. Someone else who is a notable filmmaker but I don’t really see as much buzz about is Sarah Polley. Most people know Sarah as an actor as she has appeared in such films as Doug Liman’s Go, Zack Snyder’s Dawn Of The Dead and David Cronenberg’s eXistenz. If you ask a film enthusiast or filmmaker, they would probably focus more on her directorial work such as Away From Her and Stories We Tell. I’ll admit that I haven’t been the biggest fan of her previous films, but i’ve definitely adored her many performances, specifically her role in Go, a very underrated 90s comedy. Women Talking changed that notion and i’m glad that it did.
I got to see Women Talking at its second screening at TIFF during an afternoon this year and it was truly something special. Sarah came out after the film and answered some questions for the audience which was also a treat. Women Talking is definitely an important film and one that i’m glad I got the chance to see at TIFF this year. This film is one that discusses some important topics (that for some sad reason are still prevalent in society) and changed my perspective of Sarah Polley as a filmmaker.
Women Talking follows a group of women in a religious community during 2010 who are being victimized by the men that live with them. The women spend the entire runtime discussing whether or not they should leave the colony as a whole or stay and try to change the environment. This film is definitely going to be compared to 12 Angry Men, as I did that exact thing leaving the theatre, and it’s for good reasons. This film is a solid one location drama with some phenomenal performances and a sharp script. While it’s not a perfect film, the vast list of positives out way the couple negatives for me.
The biggest thing that will be discussed when this film is in the running for awards is the performances and understandably so. This film is filled with fantastic performances from a stellar group of actresses, and also Ben Whishaw. The three most notable ones that will be in the running during awards season are Rooney Mara, Claire Foy and Jessie Buckley. If I was choosing who was nominated this year, Jessie Buckley would be an easy pick for Supporting Actress. She gives the best performance (in my opinion) out of anyone in this film. Rooney Mara seems like a possibility for Lead Actress, but the race is tight this year and if I had to pick one Supporting Actress from this film it would be Buckley despite Claire giving a great performance as well. A big reason for that is probably because Jessie is one of my favourite actresses working today and she proves it through this film. Jessie’s character is a mother who is against the idea of leaving the colony because she’s worried about the repercussions, but soon has a change of heart as we learn more about her own heartbreaking situation with her husband. One of my only negatives about the film is that there are so many women apart of the group, that some of them don’t get as flashed out as characters as they could. All of them interject something to the conversation, but some of them are sidelined a bit for the lead players in the discussion. That isn’t an overall extreme negative because it doesn’t take away from the sheer brilliance of the performances. It was also cool to see that so many of the side characters were played by canadian actors. This film has become a part of many people’s identity as they used so many local talents to fill the world of this religious community. Many who came to the screening at Princess of Wales (the theatre I worked at during TIFF) were ecstatic to see the film because they got to be apart of it, even if they were an extra for a quick moment. The performances in this film are standout and should be talked about during awards season.
The writing is another element that really works for this film. It’s adapted from a book, so they have all this rich text to play with when it comes to the dialogue. Like stated before, this film is very much a “12 Angry Men” style film. Most of it takes place in one location, which means that the dialogue needs to be sharp. There isn’t too much action which isn’t a problem because of how character and dialogue driven this film is. The writing feels natural and the actors bounce off each other really well. It feels like you are apart of the conversation with them which really strengthens the quality of the film as a whole. The connections you feel with these characters are so strong, that by the end of the film you feel like you’re also possibly leaving the community with them. Sarah’s directing goes hand in hand with the strong writing because if she didn’t have such a strong knowledge of how she wanted this film to be presented, it wouldn’t have turned out as strong and impactful.
One small issue that many had at TIFF was the colour grading of the film. It’s not really secret that many didn’t really like how the film looks. The cinematography looks excellent, but the way the colours blend was something that people were not as positive on. I would agree with the audience on this one because leaving my screening, I also felt that the film was a little too dark and grey. The subject matter of the film needs a darker colour palette, but the film definitely didn’t have enough colour. The picture that TIFF used looked more vibrant, so I understand people’s disappointment. The trailer that they dropped shows a brighter colour palette that also maintains the dark nature of the subject matter. My problem with the colours might be fixed with the final version. It wasn’t awful in any means but there were some scenes that felt a bit too devoid of colour.
This film is important though despite my couple of minor issues with it because the subject matter is still as prevalent as it has always been. In the most respectful yet honest way to explain it, this film is about sexual abuse. More specifically the sexual abuse that comes from people who use their religion or power status to hurt or harm. Those who use the trust that these people have in them to get what they want with and without the knowledge of those being wronged. We live in a world now that is open to having the conversation of those who wrong people sexually and that’s a super positive. The existence of the #MeToo movement is something that has brought so much openness and positivity to those who are seeking justice and want their stories out there to help those in need and to let them know that it’s not their fault that it happened to them. The reason that this film is still necessary is because even after the MeToo movement, this abuse is still being committed against countless individuals. Now we also have the issue of cis women and trans women losing their rights in certain states that makes this even more relevant. The fact that certain states feel that cis women shouldn’t be allowed control over their own bodies is a shocking concept. The fact that people are trying to take the rights away from women and make them into subordinates should be eye opening to everyone, but some people still don’t care. Sexual Abuse is still rampant in our society, not just against cis women and trans women but against everyone on both the gender and sexuality spectrums. This film is important for this moment in time because we need to wake up those who have not been paying attention to this problem, and this movie might help those people finally do that.
Women Talking is a fantastic piece of cinema that examines a problem that we shockingly still deal with to this day. With phenomenal performances and a sharp script, this film will definitely be a major player during awards season and hopefully will be a wake up call for those who are still on the wrong side of history and society as a whole. As this film showcases, maybe we should spend more time listening to the women in our society and what they think of the negativity those women face everyday.
The Rating:
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