Is Women Talking woke?

The story exists mainly to deliver a woke ideological lecture. Themes are heavy-handed, preachy, and feel forced or unnatural. Entertainment value is secondary, and viewers frequently feel lectured or alienated.

Wokeness Analysis

Women Talking exemplifies activist filmmaking where the narrative serves primarily as a vehicle for progressive ideological messaging on patriarchy, systemic male oppression, and female empowerment. Adapted by Sarah Polley from Miriam Toews's novel and inspired by real sexual assaults in a Bolivian Mennonite colony, the film confines its action to a single location—a hayloft where eight women debate three options: do nothing, stay and fight, or leave. This static, dialogue-heavy structure, likened to Twelve Angry Men but centered on female victimhood, prioritizes ideological discourse over dramatic tension or character depth. The women, portrayed by a stellar ensemble including Rooney Mara, Claire Foy, and Jessie Buckley, represent archetypal feminist positions: the angry radical, the pacifist forgiver, the pragmatic leaver. Their discussions deconstruct religious patriarchy, question forgiveness as subjugation, and advocate leaving for liberation, framing conservative faith communities as inherently abusive. Critics from progressive outlets hail it as a timely #MeToo parable, feminist manifesto, and allegory for broader misogyny, with phrases like 'act of female imagination' underscoring its didactic intent. Conservative-leaning critiques dismiss it as formulaic propaganda, Oscar-bait for neo-feminists, where endless feminist rhetoric overshadows entertainment. The sole sympathetic male, played by Ben Whishaw, takes minutes and validates the women's awakening, reinforcing 'not all men' while centering female solidarity. No nuance exists for cultural context; the Mennonite setting becomes a strawman for critiquing traditional values. Entertainment is secondary to lecturing audiences on gendered power dynamics, alienating viewers seeking escapism or balance. This heavy-handed approach, prevalent in post-#MeToo cinema, forces progressive social commentary, making the film a prime example of woke activism that prioritizes agenda over artistry.

Plot

In 2010, women and girls in an isolated Mennonite colony awaken from drugged assaults by colony men, initially dismissed as satanic work or imagination. While male leaders and perpetrators leave for town to post bail, representatives from affected families convene secretly in a hayloft for 48 hours. Illiterate and grappling with faith, they vote on their future: do nothing and forgive as elders demand; stay and fight for justice within the community; or leave everything behind for an uncertain world. A sympathetic male teacher records their debate, marked by trauma, anger, doubt, and hope. Through intense discussions on autonomy, violence, and God, they confront complicity in their oppression and choose a path forward. Loosely based on real events in Bolivia's Manitoba Colony, director Sarah Polley's adaptation of Miriam Toews's novel features Rooney Mara, Claire Foy, Jessie Buckley, Frances McDormand, and others in a stark, ensemble-driven drama confined to one barn set.