THB @ Telluride 4: Women Talking (written)

Women Talking may end up being the most demanding film of this year’s Telluride. This is not unexpected from Sarah Polley.

Start with the premise. The women of a small religious community are being incapacitated and raped by the men of the community, often with great brutality.

But the film is clearly not about small religious communities or the men or really even, rape. All of these elements are part of the film, but they are all manifestations of bigger, more universal questions.

In fact, the structural and character foundations of the film and all that they are not creates the springboard to be more than you would expect. How can a world so small support questions so big?

Polley, who wrote the script from Miriam Toews’ book, has a lot to say about women… the wide range of women… the flexibility of women… the emotional willingness of women… the pragmati…