Women Talking

United Artists Releasing | Release Date: December 23, 2022

6.1	USER SCORE Generally favorable reviews based on 81 Ratings

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TVJerryJan 23, 2023

The title pretty much sums it up. A group of women in an isolated religious colony (similar to the Mennonites) address sexual assaults from their men. Writer/director Sarah Polley has assembled a top shelf cast, including Rooney Mara, ClaireThe title pretty much sums it up. A group of women in an isolated religious colony (similar to the Mennonites) address sexual assaults from their men. Writer/director Sarah Polley has assembled a top shelf cast, including Rooney Mara, Claire Foy, Jessie Buckley, Judith Ivey and France McDormand. They bring power to the characters with their dramatic monologues and continuous debate. As the only man in the cast, Ben Wishaw creates some moving moments. Polley's direction is quietly cinematic with flourishes that add depth and texture (and a de-saturated look that renders it almost monochromatic). Even with their personal stories, there's not much dramatic impact to this extended deliberation. It's more about the arguments and performances than creating an effective emotional experience.… Expand

0 of 2 users found this helpful02

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royalguy07Feb 18, 2023

Fully fleshed characters expertly acted and portrayed in an dire and impossible situation.

0 of 1 users found this helpful01

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Brent_MarchantDec 30, 2022

I’ll admit up front that this is likely going to be an unpopular review and a decidedly minority opinion, but I have to be honest about my feelings. Writer-director Sarah Polley’s adaptation of Miriam Toews’s novel of the same name may comeI’ll admit up front that this is likely going to be an unpopular review and a decidedly minority opinion, but I have to be honest about my feelings. Writer-director Sarah Polley’s adaptation of Miriam Toews’s novel of the same name may come from a place of noble intent, and it may feature one of the year’s finest acting ensembles, but its overall treatment is a major misfire. This fact-based story about a group of women from a conservative religious colony who meet to discuss how to respond to a series of sexual assaults in their community unfolds in a circular, wooden, stagey fashion that plays more like a university discussion group than a work of dramatic cinema. The ideas raised in these dialogues – ranging from activism to passivity to intergender relations to forgiveness to faith and salvation – are certainly lofty topics for consideration and deliberation, especially in terms of how they might be addressed in the forging of a new and better world. But their handling here is so forced and inauthentic that the entire exercise lacks believability and does little to foster a sense of concerted viewer engagement, a project that might have been more accurately titled "Women Endlessly Talking Things to Death." And, as the narrative drones on and on, it becomes tediously dull, with one of the characters herself astutely observing that “This is very, very boring” (well said, if a bit ironic). What’s more, a number of incidents and themes seemingly arise out of nowhere and aren’t always fully resolved, making one wonder why they were included in the first place. Even more disappointing is the fact that the film features so many fine portrayals by performers who are given such stilted material to work with, including Jessie Buckley, Claire Foy, Judith Ivey, Sheila McCarthy, Ben Whishaw and Frances McDormand (whose appearance is more of an afterthought than anything else). Director Polley has certainly made a name for herself with such excellent past works as “Away From Her” (2006), but her reach has certainly exceeded her grasp with this undertaking, one that has much to say but ultimately says so little.… Expand

3 of 5 users found this helpful32

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everettJan 10, 2023

If you haven't read the book or read about the premise, you'll be confused for quite some time re: what these women are talking about. This gives the film an airlessness that takes away the potential power of the dialogue and winds up feelingIf you haven't read the book or read about the premise, you'll be confused for quite some time re: what these women are talking about. This gives the film an airlessness that takes away the potential power of the dialogue and winds up feeling pretentious. Then, when we finally are given the backstory, we're also finding out that these women who are considering leaving will be leaving behind their own sons and/or other males that they love. The idea that this wouldn't have been a huge problem from the start winds up adding to the sense that this film is ultimately a stagey set-up with a premise that lacks credibility: A vehicle for some excellent performances that just don't feel earned by everything around them.… Expand

1 of 2 users found this helpful11

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AmblerEdwardFeb 18, 2023

Overpraised film in my opinion despite the stellar acting. There's clearly a justified rage and causation in this community. There's clearly trauma that has been inflicted, but the setting where this occurred is so confined to the "menfolk"Overpraised film in my opinion despite the stellar acting. There's clearly a justified rage and causation in this community. There's clearly trauma that has been inflicted, but the setting where this occurred is so confined to the "menfolk" outside of this barn that it both paints the real Amish and Mennonite communities with a broad brush without enlarging its scope to actual events in modern day religious-agrarian societies. As a male, I agree that the male hierarchies and toxic masculinity have and continue to oppress, but this time and place was so artificial as to sabotage a larger message. An example of how myopic and contrived this place was, there was 90 minutes of debate of whether the women should leave or not, and not once does anyone ask how they can even afford a parcel of land when they weren't even permitted to learn to read.… Expand

1 of 1 users found this helpful10

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