英語 Cinema Report [Women Talking]　

Women Talking

Spoilers ahead!

Honestly, I’m not sure how to feel about this film. I’m going to write my rambling thoughts below.

Negatives
-        At first, I wasn’t sure which period the film was set in, and that suspense was greater than what was going on in the film. It reminded me of the premise of the film The Village by M. Night Shyamalan.
-        After the confirmation that the film was actually set in the year 2010, but that the people were in a religious community where they are basically living as though it’s the 1800s, I though “hmmm, this is interesting”. However, at the same time, the film’s central theme became a lot more convoluted for me.
-        I guess I don’t quite understand why the film made that reveal out to be a shock for the audience. Maybe it wasn’t intended to be shocking, but as a person who’ve only seen the Japanese trailer of this film, it was. If the movie’s main theme is the decision the women have to make after brutal rapes perpetrated by the men in the community, it should’ve been focused on that without the suspenseful element. That might just be me, since after reading some reviews by other people, it seems like I should’ve known that this was semi-based on a real event which happened in Bolivia! Oh well.
-        The women are supposed to be uneducated, and cannot read nor write, but if I wasn’t told that multiple times throughout the film, I would’ve not noticed.
-        I also don’t buy that they don’t know anything about the world outside of the community… Maybe I’m just ignorant about these kinds of insular communities, but they don’t even know where the nearest civilization is?

Positives
-        I liked that each character represented different positions as a reaction to what happened to them. I felt all their positions were valid, and covered the sensitive topic of sexual assault quite thoroughly.
-        The stories of the 2 horses were a good change of pacing to the discussion.
-        I kind of enjoyed that although they live in an ultra conservative religious community, some of the women were not at all reserved in their behaviors.
-        This would make a great stage play! I mean this as a compliment, because after watching the movie “The Whale”, which was originally a play, I’m into films with play type of feeling.
-        I liked the dark cinematography.

Conclusion

I have mixed feelings for this film, but I definitely don’t regret watching it. I’d even go as far to say that people should watch it, but probably best to read the synopsis beforehand. With the right expectation, this film might cut you to the core!