REVIEW No. 1,500!
"So when something like this happened there was no language for it. And without language for it, there was a gaping silence. And in that gaping silence was the real horror."
Inspired by real events in the 2000s, where the females in a remote isolated Bolivian religious community were being systematically drugged and sexually abused by the male followers, Sarah Polley's adaptation of Miriam Toews's novel takes place in rural America, as the women face what is happening in their lives and those of their children, and we follow a cross-generational group chosen from three families tasked to make a decision - "Do nothing. Stay and fight. Leave." - in a barn over twenty-four hours. Whilst not without moments of levity, this is a very sombre and solemn examination of not just female empowerment and self-realisation but also of religious belief and personal (female) identity. The muted visual palette capably reflects the life drained from these women and the stark simplicity of the attitudes and way of life they endure. The quality of the writing is sublime - frequently, the utterance of single line can be devastating in effect - and this is a true ensemble of extraordinary performances by all of the (female) cast led by Rooney Mara as the pregnant Ona, plus a heartbreakingly sensitive turn by Ben Whishaw as the minute-taking schoolteacher. Being set in 2010 makes the juxtaposition of attitudes in this seemingly old-fashioned community with the current climate makes for some challenging thoughts on societal roles and attitudes. The film is extremely measured and theatrical in style, but what is actually being said and considered - together with the individual lives of these characters - is utterly compelling; to create a movie that is so gentle and yet so powerful and impactful is a terrific achievement.
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