‘Women Talking’ Exclusive Clip: Ben Whishaw & Rooney Mara’s Chemistry Shines In Sarah Polley’s Harrowing Film

If you look at “Women Talking” on paper, it automatically piques interest. The film is directed by Sarah Polley, produced by Brad Pitt, and stars Claire Foy, Jessie Buckley, Ben Whishaw, and Frances McDormand. Usually, when the material and people involved look amazing there’s a little hint of skepticism from audiences as they question, “Will this or can this actually be as good as we think it will be?” Thankfully, “Women Talking” is a film that does meet that expectation.

READ MORE: ‘Women Talking’ Review: Jessie Buckley Leads A Stellar Cast In Sarah Polley’s Tense Drama [Telluride]

Based on the novel of the same name by Miriam Toews, the actual story is fiction, but it is a fictional response to true events– the horrifying story of women in a Mennonite colony in Bolivia who believed they had been attacked by demons before discovering they were actually being drugged and raped by men in their community. In regards to the events behind “Women Talking,” Polley stated, “Though the backstory is violent, the film is not. We never see the violence that the women have experienced. We see only short glimpses of the aftermath.  Instead, we watch a community of women come together as they must decide, in a very short space of time, what their collective response will be.”

READ MORE: Claire Foy: “Very, Very Rare” That Something Like ‘Women Talking’ Comes Your Way [Interview]

This leaves audiences wondering how the women will respond, how can they respond if the elders decide to support the attackers instead of the victims? As they see it, they have to talk and decide whether to do nothing, stay and fight, or leave the only life they’ve known.

“Women Talking” premiered at the Telluride Film Festival last fall and the buzz around it hasn’t wavered since. The film has received 2023 BAFTA and Golden Globe nominations, is part of many Oscar predictions for categories such as Best Adapted Screenplay and Best Supporting Actress, and received the Movie of the Year at the AFI Awards and the Robert Altman Award at the Film Independent Spirit Awards. 

The film is in limited release now and will be released in theaters everywhere on January 23 via United Artist Releasing. Watch the trailer and exclusive clip below.