The movie “Women Talking” revolves around the lives of women residing in a religious community who are often drugged, incapacitated, and raped by the men of their own community; unfortunately, this has been going on for years and has even robbed some of them of their own identity. The elders of the community have always tried to shrug off the matter, saying that it is the ghost or devil himself who has violated them. But the truth eventually comes out: it was men all along, no spirits, no devil, but men! The culprits are arrested, leaving the women of the community with three choices: “To say nothing,” “to stay and fight,” and “to leave.” The movie is packed with interesting characters who convey their own ideas in interesting ways.
Spoilers Ahead
Greta
Greta is one of the most interesting characters in the movie. The one thing that sets her apart from other characters is that rather than directly speaking her mind, she often relies on her views via the stories of her horses, Ruth and Cheryl. In one story, she mentioned that her horses, Ruth and Cheryl, wandered off the road following an encounter with Dueck’s aggressive dog. According to her, the initial instinct of any animal is to bolt when faced with potential danger. Through this story, Greta conveys that since they’ve been treated like animals, it’s best to act like them. She explains in one of her tales how leaving the patriarchal community would open their eyes to new possibilities.
Mariche
Mariche was the most significant character and was always leaning on the side of staying and fighting. Mariche was Klass’ wife and shared two kids with the former. She is also a determined mother, always looking out for her kids and chastising them for climbing the barn’s ladder. According to her, the other women have no grasp on reality and are just making statements. But in reality, Mariche never had the strength to stand up to her husband’s abuse or get out of harm’s way. No matter how much she denies it, she fears that her own sons will one day grow up to be just like their father and other members of the community if she does nothing to stop them or educate them. Klass was abusive, and Mariche forgave him every time, and as a result, she developed a very pacifist attitude toward aggression.
August
August (played by Ben Whishaw) is the only male character in the movie and was called to relay the pros and cons of all three choices, so the women could choose wisely. August was the only one to attend the university and knew a great deal about agriculture and geography. Years ago, August’s mother too raised her voice against the gender prejudices lingering in the community and was excommunicated as a result. August is not like the others and knows his place among the women. He genuinely believes that women are also subjected to the same rights and choices that men enjoy. Even though the barn was swarming with women, August was truly the one who helped them break free.
Scarface Janz
From the outset of the movie, she is determined to convince everyone to forgive the men in the community before they come back. According to her, the only way to enter the kingdom of heaven is through forgiveness, but in reality, she has forgotten the true meaning of forgiveness. She believes that the forgiveness that is forced upon someone is not as good as the forgiveness that stems from their heart or conscience. Towards the climax, as women are leaving, we even see her stopping a couple of women from joining them, convincing them that doing otherwise will result in their not going to heaven.
Salome
Salome is one of the most intriguing characters in the movie: a determined mother who once walked for an entire day to a mobile clinic to fetch her daughter’s antibiotics. Salome is entirely against forgiving men, knowing that they’ve been preying on them for years. She fears that what happened to her could also one day happen to her daughter. No matter what anyone says, she believes that she doesn’t need to be forgiven by the men of God for protecting her children from the depraved actions of the vicious men who are very often the same men they were meant to ask for forgiveness from. She also finds herself questioning the existence of God, asking the women around him why he hasn’t protected the women and girls of the colony, knowing that they’re preyed upon. Salome won’t think twice before destroying any living thing that harms her child, desecrating its body, and burying it alive. This is her primary motivation for leaving, as she knows that these acts won’t stop, and in order to protect her daughter, she would have to kill anyone who tries to violate her.
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