I’m not that smart. No, really. Movies like WOMEN TALKING, which are trying to be artistic and win the Oscar, usually don’t work for me. On the rare exception that they do, it’s because they have a lot of heart or an outstanding performance.
In comes, WOMEN TALKING. A movie that feels like a weird mashup of A HANDMAID’S TALE, A QUIET PLACE visuals, and the Amish lifestyle. Not much happens in WOMEN TALKING, outside of “women talking.” And what they say may be important, yet, it’s all dreadfully dull. Also, the entire film feels like a book adaptation for the stage instead of the screen.
As a male, I will probably get some adverse reactions by giving WOMEN TALKING a negative review, yet the reasons for my dislike of the film have nothing to do with the content. It’s all about the execution. Director Sarah Polley has made a film that, from a technical perspective, looks and sounds great. Sadly, it needed a better script to support the lofty ideas and visuals wrapped up in it.
In WOMEN TALKING, “what follows (maybe) an act of female imagination,” yet what really follows is an act of endurance for audiences… to stay awake.
It’s available in theatres now.
