Women Talking Review
A Sensational piece of filmmaking.
Like most people in February/March, they are finishing off watching thee Oscar-nominated movies. Women Talking was next on my list and this film completely blew me away. This also has a video review in case you want to listen instead of reading.
It is a simplistic storyline with depth. It follows a colony that has to make a decision to fight the men in the colony or flee. Following horrific experiences with men and an election of what’s best for them, these two events are left (screw forgiving them...right.) What plays out is a debate that has to come to an end before it's too late. There are more subtle storylines but that's the focus point of the entire film which features many character development moments.
The acting by the whole cast is so raw with emotions that it immediately draws the audience to truly feel the weight of the decision they are making. My biggest standout out was Jessie Buckley due to their range on display from anger to nothing but devasting sadness. Others such as Michelle McLeod’s and Claire Foy's characters stood out to me and I got attached too. Briefly, Ben Wishaw is good in this film as expected but I was not blown away compared to the rest of the cast. On a film that relies heavily on the acting due to it mainly being focused on a singular setting, the cast really does an exquisite job of investing the audience throughout with each member showing range. There is so much character development as each person shares and accepts the outcome of their future and because of this, you feel like you personally know every single character. It is a film where I feel like every audience member will become attached to certain characters due to their viewpoints which I have stated as my own.
Sarah Polley has formed an exceptional script. It could have easily been boring but it's written in such a way that was captivating to watch these women debate their future. That all the script naturally is a debate but there is the depth with characters' backstories, the theme of love or much darker abuse and of course the social commentary. It never once feels like the film is too heavy or dark which showcases how clever the scriptwriting is. In terms of directing it's an incredible shot film (not the best I must state) but it's the greyish nature that appealed to me. There is a lack of colour throughout the entire film and with stylist choice, it immerses you into the colony and puts the focus/matches the dark narrative. This article by Filmmaker Magazine is perfect for highlighting this. Sarah Polley has now become a director that I what will see their next film urgently.
Another huge appeal to me was the editing. It was incredibly smooth and felt like when cuts were added it was used with meaning to push the messages brought by the characters. A scene that stood out to me was when one character is putting a child to sleep and the camera pans behind them facing the sun. The smooth transitions are the sun gradually fades, we turn back around with the setting feeling darker all around and the scene continues. Most of the ‘sharp’ editing is done in flash-back or voice-over sequences but as stated they are used effectively to convey each statement.
I do feel like mentioning the score. There were times that I was drawn into the score but compared to other films it wasn't truly utilised or I personally was not listening out for it. It's not something that I will find myself personally listening to but it perfectly captures the essence of the movie. Adagio, mostly strings that has a calming quality to them and that's what it's like in the film. It could be argued that because of the type of score, it's not supposed to be in your face or noticeable. It's there to add a subtle layer not to set the tone but to immerse the audience in the world. For that reason, it's not a score that jumps out to me or has repeatability and for other films, they just have a better hold on me.
It is tough to find something negative and the only thing is on me. It took way too long for me to finally catch on to the whole narrative and that may be because the opening monologue just was a lot of information for me to grasp right away. That was on me but once the pieces finally clicked then I was fixated on the narrative.
Overall, I will say this film will not be for everyone. The biggest clue is in the title, if you read that and are not somewhat interested then it's not going to be for you. It is a dialogue-focused film mostly in one location meaning if you a script-writing fanatic this will be for you. I adore this film which as stated is difficult to find any negatives.