The nominations for best picture this year had a couple of minor surprises. One of those was Sarah Polley’s Women Talking which most experts believed would pick up just an adapted screenplay nomination, a nod that it did also achieve for Polley and Miriam Toews. Adapted from a novel by Toews, set in 2010 and an isolated religious community. The women and girls are not allowed any formal education. When they discover the men have been using cow tranquilizer to subdue and rape them, the attackers are arrested and imprisoned in a nearby city. The men of the colony travel to oversee the bail, leaving the women by themselves for two days to decide whether to stay and do nothing, stay and fight, or leave.
As the title suggests, the majority of this film involves the women debating what their course of action should be, so I can imagine that some will find it too talky and lacking in action. However, I found myself drawn into their dilemma, hanging onto every word of their discussions. That is helped by a mostly excellent cast, in particular Rooney Mara as the strong willed Ona and Jessie Buckley as the angry Mariche who initially wants to stay passively despite the abuse subjected to her and her daughters. Kate Hallett and Liv McNeil are also really impressive as two young girls observing the older women.
The only false notes are in some of the dialogue as it sounds like it is coming from the pen of a highly-educated and liberal person rather than the mouth of someone who cannot read or write and has lead a life sheltered from the modern world. Otherwise, with the pressure of a time limit before the men return and a beautifully insistent score by Hildur Guðnadóttir, the film grips like a thriller by the end.
In a best picture shortlist that is deeply flawed, Women Talking is one of the few that feels worthy of being considered for inclusion.
Rating: 8.5 out of 10