Sometimes I think people laugh as hard as they'd like to cry
Continuing my trip up Empire's top 20 films of 2023
#15 : Women Talking
A group of women quite literally, well, talking in a barn may not sound thrilling, but take our word for it — Sarah Polley’s adaptation of Miriam Toews’ novel is an emotional rollercoaster. Claire Foy, Jessie Buckley and Rooney Mara head up an excellent cast playing Mennonite women that have been suffering ongoing sexual assaults at the hands of male members of their colony, who must decide whether to forgive their abusers, or leave their home for good. This is confident, no-frills filmmaking from Polley, who keeps the setting and cinematic flourishes to a minimum, allowing the devastating dialogue, strange sense of humour, and outstanding performances to shine through, communicating the violence of the crimes against the women without ever doing so in an exploitative way. A slow, quiet burn that will shake your soul.
I've heard this one is good, but yes, a group of women talking in a barn really doesn't sound all that thrilling. It's got quite the cast though, so I'm sure it will be a very well acted group of women talking in a barn, if nothing else.
Well, there's really very little for me to say here that hasn't already been said by Empire - you're given the pretty straightforward central concept up front and then the various characters get to give their take on the decision to be made or related aspects of it. The comparison between the security gained from staying with their known yet awful situation and the insecurity of the unknown is an interesting one. It's made clear that the women are arguing from different places in terms of knowledge, faith, optimism and experience which adds another interesting aspect to the discussion - it also has some interesting things to say about forgiveness, both from a religious and secular viewpoint.
It's well filmed, being beautifully lit with a muted colour palette that works really well - it's also not afraid to let the camera linger or allow the dialogue to take its time. You really get the impression that Sarah Polley has really thought about what she wants and she has the confidence in her beliefs and, whilst the film wasn't a huge commercial success, it was nice to see it rewarded with an Academy Award nomination for Best Picture and a win for Best Adapted Screenplay.
It also undoubtedly helps that she has a super-talented cast at her disposal - obviously Claire Foy, Jessie Buckley, Roonie Mara, Ben Whishaw and Frances McDourmand are all excellent, but it's a high quality bar across the cast. It also has a lovely understated score by Hildur Guðnadóttir which adds to the mood nicely.
It's a very literate and theatrical piece (it would make a good play) - I can quite understand that a lot of people would find it boring or depressing, but I found it fascinating and quietly uplifting, with a beautiful (and quote emotional) ending. I don't know exactly what's still to come on Empire's list but #15 feels a bit low for me - and for some utterly unfathomable reason it's not on The Guardian's list at all. If you want a serious piece of work with some great acting and beautiful filmwork, then I highly recommend this - at the time of writing it's available to rent in all the usual places.
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