BY: LOUISE BARRETTO

Oscar nominated director Sarah Polley deftly handles the pacing of Women Talking and makes it a cinematic experience even if it can seem like a filmed stage play. The 8 women congregate in a hayloft to discuss how to handle the men accused of raping the women and girls in the ultra religious colony.

Religion, despite claiming to give salvation to their brethren, is always used to condone such bad actions. We’ve all heard it before — if someone slaps you, turn the other cheek. Forgive, so you may be forgiven. These words weigh heavily on the women played by the stellar cast that includes Rooney Mara, Claire Foy, Jessie Buckley, Judith Ivey. They are torn by their faith and belief to do what is right in the eyes of God (which is to forgive), but they also want to do right by their children and their children’s children.

The women discourse about making a new society where women are free, free to learn and free to speak their minds and on the most basic level, free from rape and assault. They analyze their choices from all angles — what would happen if they stayed in the colony? It’s the only place they know and they don’t know what lies beyond. But if they do leave, what will they do and what rules would they live their lives by? The film is basically 12 Angry Men but turned on its head to have 8 women discussing — not the fate of another but of their own.

It brings up all these philosophical questions — how far are you willing to go to be devout to your faith and your community when in doing so, it’s going against the grain of who you are as a human being? Are you willing to leave everything you know behind and go into the unknown for the promise of a better life?

Women Talking gets under your skin and sets the wheels in motion for any woman who’s ever been a victim of rape or assault. My personal hope is that everyone sees this film so they can have the courage to leave toxicity behind and start anew.