“There must be satisfaction gained in accurately naming the thing that torments you.”

These simple but evocative words are taken from Women Talking, the beautiful novel by Miriam Toews, who tells the story of a group of women in an isolated Mennonite community who, after the arrest of a group of men that had been sexually abusing many women, come together to discuss their way forward, having grown weary of being the objects of their scorn and violent tendencies deeply ingrained in their community. With the men returning imminently, the women have two choices: they can stay and fight, demanding reform and a change of life, or they can leave, starting their new life in a world they have yet to even begin to encounter. The novel was adapted to the screen by Sarah Polley, whose retelling of this powerful and poignant story is one of the year’s most astonishing artistic achievements. A simple but provocative drama about the virtue of realizing that one doesn’t have to blindly accept whatever cards life has dealt them, and that they are more than capable of fighting against those that seek to keep this subservient and quiet. Polley was the correct director to bring this film to the screen – she may have only made a small handful of films, but each one is a powerful and compelling look at femininity and how it functions in the wider world, looking at different areas of society and how many people navigate the inevitable challenges that come with being a woman, in both the past and present. Thoughtful and meaningful, but also resilient in the way that we may not expect from such a simple film, Women Talking is an astounding work of socially-charged storytelling, with Toews’ achingly beautiful and deeply captivating text being placed in the respectful hands of a director who understands that a film such as this needs to combine broad strokes with intricate details, which are all so beautifully captured as she ventures through this world, each moment adding onto a vivid and compassionate tapestry of human existence.

Art certainly has a very powerful way of influencing change, which is one of the reasons many of the greatest films tend to have deeper meaning, whether they relate to the specific era in which they were made, or are looking at something slightly more universal. In terms of the subject matter that exists at the heart of Women Talking, the evidence is clear that what is being discussed is a widespread issue. We live in a time when sexual violence against women has reached the point where it cannot be hidden behind the veneer of the gender divide any longer – whether the violence has gotten worse, or women have just been given more of a platform on which to speak is up to interpretation, but the truth is that we are seeing unprecedented change, which is likely the result of more equality in both the professional and private sectors allowing their voices to be heard. This film isn’t depicting real events, but rather were inspired by a story that the author had encountered, whereby a group of Mennonites in Bolivia decided to leave their community after deciding that they were no longer going to be the objects on which men could assert their toxic masculinity, and that they would stand up for themselves by walking away, which seems like a simple action, but is actually quite profoundly revolutionary if you understand the social structure of the Mennonite faith, and how it is designed to not only keep women in a position of being subservient, but prevent them from ever expressing anything other than complete and total obedience to their husbands and all other males in their community. Polley understands all these nuances (and even goes so far as to ensure that her additional research pays attention to all these small details when constructing her version of this story, since she realizes the cumulative nature of every minuscule component in terms of the broader story), and manages to go in search of something quite profound, which it achieves with flying colours.

Women Talking is ultimately a film that manages to get straight to the point, frequently circumventing any allegations of being too overly verbose by delivering an endless barrage of insightful concepts into a story that absolutely deserves the attention and admiration that it has already started to receive for its powerful glimpse into the psychological state of a group of women who have decided to step away from the abuse, by any means necessary. There are some allegations levelled against this film that it is too overly academic – ultimately, this is a case of the film delivering exactly what the title offers, with Women Talking being exactly that: nearly two hours of women having an extensive conversation, in which they question everything from their faith to their place within a society that is notoriously hostile to them and their entire way of life. There isn’t any ambiguity in what they are saying, and the film makes their individual stances all extremely clear, even when it is engaging in a few cases of light allegory, which is used to draw correlations between these women in their insular, isolated community and the broader female population, many of whom can find some resonance in this particular story. There is a lot of complexity in the original novel, and Polley had the challenge of expanding on that text, taking it to the screen in a way that didn’t lose the very internal nature of the written page, but rather added onto it. It isn’t much you can do with material that is essentially just a group of people engaged in a conversation (which had led many to incorrectly assume this was based on a play – it certainly is staged like one, which is not a criticism, but rather an observation on how dialogue-driven this film is, and how it approaches its material in a very simple manner), from which many of the very distinct ideas are discussed, and the important conclusions reached.

Women Talking may occasionally veer towards being didactic, but the filmmakers are absolutely dedicated to ensuring that what they are showcasing is not ambigious in any way. Somehow, through the process of telling this story, Polley finds ways to express the plethora of emotions simmering beneath each of these women, and it becomes an astonishing work that seeks to explore long before it describes, which is something that takes time to acclimate to, but which is ultimately extremely rewarding once the film reaches its first important point of conversation. It is a fluid series of moments that take place over roughly a single day, where this group of women meet to discuss and debate the merits associated with their two options, namely staying in the community and forcing change, or leaving and starting anew somewhere else, both of which are terrifying concepts, since no one can be sure of how it would end, since they lacked experience in the skills required to successfully execute both. One of the aspects that is quite intriguing about this film, and which was a development that Polley brought to the film, was setting Women Talking in the year 2010 – the specific reason for choosing this year is not clear, but there is an additional sense of complexity in seeing a story that is essentially taking place in very recent history, but could be set in any moment in the past, with the timeless quality of this community and their simple, pastoral life almost betraying the contemporary aspects, creating an intentional disconnect between concept and execution that needed a very assured hand in terms of both the writing and visual aspects to successfully accomplish. It all adds up to one of the central themes, which is that of tradition in opposition to modernity, especially in relation to issues surrounding femininity, which is what this film is primarily concerned with exploring, which it does with incredible resolve and a lot of hard-hitting honesty, which can be uncomfortable at times, but serves a very important purpose in the overall narrative.

Women Talking boasts quite an impressive cast, with over half a dozen of the best actors of their generation playing the women in this commune that meet to decide the fate of their fellow sisters in the wake of a new wave of sexual violence asserted against them. This is an ensemble-based film that required actors at the very peak of their abilities, not only since they were required to deliver the dense, complex dialogue, but do so in a way that was convincing and beautiful, rather than just being mouthpieces for the film’s broader themes. If you ask half a dozen viewers who they believe the standout to be, you are likely to receive the same number of answers, since there isn’t any singular performance that stands out above the other – each of the actors in this cast (which is composed entirely of women, with the exception of Ben Whishaw and August Winter, who play the only male characters) are doing some of their very best work, and they all represent different kinds of characters that come together to discuss the way forward. There are the promising young actors that are likely to represent the next generation of performers in the form of Rooney Mara, Jessie Buckley and Claire Foy, while seasoned veterans like Judith Ivey, Sheila McCarthy and Frances McDormand hold court as representatives of the older generation. By the very nature of the film and how it uses its actors, highlighting one means we have to discuss them all, since the impact of Women Talking doesn’t come in terms of the individual performances, but rather how they work as a collective – each of the women are radically different, but they are united under a shared experience, and all have the same goal of wanting to rise out of this situation, their point of difference between their opinions on the actions that need to be taken. It’s a perfectly-compose cast, each actor doing impeccable and masterful work, which is so beautifully put together on screen in a way that feels genuinely compelling, by a director whose approach is very simple but undeniably evocative and meaningful.

It is certainly true that Women Talking is a divisive film by design. There are some that will perceive this film as being needlessly dull (and the muted colours in the cinematography by Luc Montpellier, as well as Hildur Guðnadóttir’s achingly beautiful score make it clear that Polley was approaching this material from a minimalist point of view), and that it’s dour, humourless tone keeps us at arm’s length, since there is nothing particularly valuable about how this film approaches the material on a fundamental level, not until we find ourselves launched into the heart of the story, where all of its details are made clear. This is a film that has never felt more urgent – in a year where we’ve seen stories such as this and the case contained in She Said proves the importance of giving victims the opportunity to speak out, despite the risks that come through doing so. There is a very precise manner in which this film approaches some of these subjects, and Polley is not at liberty to determine whether these aspects belong in this story or not – but considering it touches on issues far beyond just womanhood (even questioning gender in terms of the presence of Melvin, as played beautifully by the exceptional August Winter, who has a small but substantial role in the film, and arguably it’s the most emotional moment when he gently says “thank you for saying my name”, breaking his vow of silence to express appreciation for being seen as who he is, rather than who he used to be), and blurring these ideas together with the cultural aspects that propel the story. There is a lot of complexity embedded deep within this film, and it’s true that some of it may feel like we are attending a sermon – but these are small issues with an otherwise extraordinary and complex film that offers us a fascinating insight into a group of women within an isolated community, who prove to be representatives of the broader population of victims, and whose escape serves to be one of the most poignant depictions of simply walking away from the abuse, regardless of the consequences waiting on the other side, that yet another obstacle to be faced once true freedom has finally occurred.