Women Talking

For a long time, the women in an isolated religious sect have been subjected to sexual abuse. They are drugged with an anesthetic made for cattle and raped during the night. The women are told that the assaults are carried out by ghosts, demons, or even Satan himself - as punishment for their indecent acts. They believe this until two young girls see one of the perpetrators running across the field after the crime has been committed. Some of the men are arrested and the rest go to town to bail them out. The women in the colony are alone for two days, and during that time they must decide what their future will look like.

Director Sarah Polley delivers a gripping tale of sexual abuse in a sect that has isolated itself in the countryside. The film is based on Miriam Toews' book of the same name, which deals with a true story in a closed Mennonite congregation in Bolivia. The film's title is precise: we witness a discussion in which religious and moral arguments slowly give way to actual conditions and man's inherent urge to survive. The film has a complex cast of characters with brilliant acting performances by Rooney Mara, Claire Foy, and Jessie Buckley.