Content warning: This article contains references to widespread sexual assault depicted in the film “Women Talking.”
Do nothing. Stay and fight. Or leave. Those are the three choices the women of “Women Talking” are faced with. Based on a true story, the new film by writer and director Sarah Polley tells the story of women in a fictional Mennonite colony who learn that some of the men in the community have been secretly drugging them and assaulting them during the night for years. When a woman would wake up confused, in pain, or bleeding, the men would tell them they’d been attacked by devils or demons. At the beginning of the movie, the women finally learn the truth. Police arrest the eight men responsible, and when almost all the colony’s men head to town to bail them out, the women have to decide what to do, leaving them with the three choices.
The film follows some of the women as they try to come to a decision for all the colony’s women, talking about all the implications and problems inherent to each one. In this exclusive clip from the film, Greta (Sheila McCarthy) tells a story about her horses, Ruth and Cheryl, as she argues for the women to finally leave. When horses see something dangerous, they run. But Agata (Judith Ivey) points out that women are not animals. “We have been preyed upon like animals,” Greta responds. “Maybe we should respond like animals.”
But Salome (Claire Foy) is furiously, righteously angry about what happened and the idea that they should flee instead of defending themselves. “I would rather stand my ground and shoot each man in the heart and bury him in a pit than flee,” she says. The clip gets into all the tricky territory the film covers and how hard it is to find consensus in the face of widespread trauma, abuse, and fear.
“Women Talking” also stars Rooney Mara, Jessie Buckley, Ben Whishaw, Frances McDormand, Michelle McLeod, Kate Hallett, Liv McNeil, Emily Mitchell, Kira Guloien, Shayla Brown, and August Winter. The ensemble are nominated for best performance by a cast in a motion picture at the 2023 Screen Actors Guild Awards, and Polley’s screenplay was nominated for a Golden Globe, as was the score by composer Hildur Gudnadóttir. “Women Talking” is also nominated for six awards at the upcoming Critics’ Choice Awards, including best picture and best supporting actress for Buckley.
“Women Talking” is in select theaters now and will be in theaters everywhere Jan. 27.
If you or a loved one are experiencing sexual assault, know that help is out there. To speak with someone trained to assist survivors of sexual violence, call the National Sexual Assault Hotline 24/7 at 1-800-656-4673.