I wasn’t especially eager to see this film, but it was the only movie that had received an AA nomination for Best Picture in 2022 that I hadn’t yet seen, so I felt that I owed it to my small cadre of blog fans to see it. Although women will appreciate it more, I thought the film was terrific and I have been thinking about it long after I saw it. The movie is based on the book of the same name (2018) written by Canadian author, Miriam Toews, who actually lived for a while in a small Mennonite community in Manitoba. Sarah Polley directed the film and co-wrote the screenplay with Toews.
The movie is based on true events, and, in this case, the facts are stranger than fiction. Between 2005 and 2009, in a small, hidden Mennonite community in Bolivia, 150 women and young girls ranging in ages from 5 to 65 were drugged and then raped by some of the men living in the community. The women would wake up in bed in pain, with blood on their genitals and sheets, and were totally ignorant about what had occurred. Many women were also physically abused by their spouses. The rapes and physical abuse would happen multiple times to many of them. Finally, the community elders (only men) became suspicious and caught one of them in the act one night. He was reported to the authorities and arrested. Eventually, after a trial, 8 men from this community were sentenced to 25 years in jail.
Most of the film takes place in a day and a half, with three generations of women trying to come to a decision about what the females of the community should do. (This happens while the men of the community are in town, posting bail for the male offender.) Most of the discussion occurs between Ona (Rooney Mara), Mariche (Jessie Buckley), and Salome (Claire Foy). The women debate three options: 1) Stay and do nothing; 2) Stay and fight); 3) Leave the community and move elsewhere to start another. Minutes of the meeting are being taken by the male schoolteacher of the community, August (Ben Wishaw), who can’t give his opinions on what they should do. (He is the only one who can read and write, since the women were never taught how to do so.)
The screenplay is one of the year’s best. (The screenplay has received an AA nomination, and I think it ought to win it!) The discussion between all the women, including the children and grandmothers, is fascinating and profound. They consider each option from every possible angle. The decision is made very complicated by the tenants of their faith. Leaving the community means they are renouncing the possibility of heaven, and pacifism and forgiveness are required. Questions are raised such as: “Can forgiveness be genuine with so much rage inside?,” “Can forgiveness be confused with permission?,” “Is pacifism actually masochism in these circumstances?,” “How do you protect the children?,” “Can young boys leave the community with the women?,” etc.
I think the film would be even more powerful as a play, since most of the film takes place inside a barn, but it still works well as a movie. I consider the film to be a MUST-SEE! and it will probably be in my Top 5 for the year. If you choose to see it, I’ll bet you’ll be “talking” about it, too!
