--- title: "Women Talking: the reviews" canonical: "https://film.one/film/women-talking/reviews" title_page: "https://film.one/film/women-talking" critics_score: 75 critics_reviews: 16 licence: "© Fi1m Ltd. Written by AI under a human editor; checked against sources before publication. Quote with attribution and a link to the canonical URL." --- # Women Talking (2022): what the critics said Critics' score 75 from 16 reviews: 13 positive, 2 mixed, 1 negative. Most critics like Women Talking, and the praise clusters almost entirely in one place: the ensemble. Claire Foy and Jessie Buckley are named again and again, with Rooney Mara and Ben Whishaw close behind, and reviewers credit Sarah Polley with keeping a film that is mostly women arguing in a barn moving, and with finding humour in material that could have been unrelieved. The reservations gather around the look. The Telegraph finds the colour palette morose; The i Paper goes further and calls the visuals ugly and sludgy; Radio Times finds the whole thing sombre and muted. The New Yorker takes a related line, admiring the script and finding the direction too conventional to match it. The one outright dissent comes from Sight and Sound, which calls the film didactic and sanctimonious. Warm reviews far outnumber the doubters, but the doubters agree with each other about what is wrong. ## Evening Standard — Charlotte O'Sullivan Fi1m's normalised score 90/100 (inferred from the text). 8 February 2023. The critic calls it a brilliant, rich drama and worthy Best Picture contender, singling out the distinct, knotty personalities of the starry ensemble (including lesser-known talents) and the surprising humor and insouciance amid the heavy subject matter. [Read the review](https://www.standard.co.uk/culture/film/women-talking-movie-review-claire-foy-jessie-buckley-sexual-abuse-cult-b1031833.html) ## Empire — Beth Webb Fi1m's normalised score 85/100 (inferred from the text). 6 February 2023. The critic praises Polley's assured return as director and the formidable ensemble's nuanced performances in this intense, dialogue-driven chamber piece set in a barn. It highlights how the film wrestles hope and emotional depth from intergenerational trauma without showing the violence itself. [Read the review](https://www.empireonline.com/movies/reviews/women-talking/) ## Financial Times — Danny Leigh Fi1m's normalised score 85/100 (inferred from the text). 9 February 2023. Polley achieves something extraordinary with a film mostly limited to characters in conversation, achieving spry, propulsive direction that flows through the rage with possibility, laughter and reminders of the crimes. The women are portrayed as more than victims. [Read the review](https://www.ft.com/content/489d00dd-746a-47f6-8d14-9314cfbc421e) ## Little White Lies — Lillian Crawford Rating 4/4/5. A moving adaptation in which a group of women in a remote Mennonite colony meet in secret to decide their future. [Read the review](https://lwlies.com/talent/sarah-polley) ## Screen Daily Fi1m's normalised score 80/100 (inferred from the text). 9 September 2022. Festival review. Sarah Polley’s focused, forceful drama about women reeling from sexual abuse delves deeply into mixed emotions on faith and forgiveness, providing an acting showcase without easy catharsis. [Read the review](https://www.screendaily.com/reviews/women-talking-toronto-review/5174281.article) ## The Telegraph — Robbie Collin Rating 4/5. 9 February 2023. The film is a gripping prison-break story in which the women verbally extract themselves from the patriarchy through nuanced, contemplative talk in a barn setting. It is beautifully performed despite a sometimes morose colour palette. [Read the review](https://www.telegraph.co.uk/films/0/women-talking-review-gripping-prison-break-film-women-prisoners/) ## Time Out — Anna Bogutskaya Rating 4/5. 23 December 2022. The film offers a powerful exploration of anger, endurance and forgiveness through strong performances from Jessie Buckley and Claire Foy in a sombre, theatrical drama about female autonomy. [Read the review](https://www.timeout.com/movies/women-talking-2022) ## The AV Club — Leigh Monson Rating B. 20 December 2022. The critic commends the film's choral approach to the feminist struggle and nuanced ensemble performances depicting varied responses to patriarchal oppression. It notes some drawbacks in integrating certain characters but finds the human connections effective. [Read the review](https://www.avclub.com/a-review-of-sarah-polleys-powerful-drama-women-talking-1849778280) ## The New Yorker — Richard Brody Fi1m's normalised score 70/100 (inferred from the text). 6 January 2023. The review finds the script sublime and powerful but the film only very good, as the direction and filming do not fully do justice to the text or amplify its impact. It highlights the women's coming to consciousness through language as the core drama but notes conventional images and performances. [Read the review](https://www.newyorker.com/culture/the-front-row/women-talking-reviewed-a-sublime-script-a-merely-very-good-movie) ## Radio Times — James Mottram Rating 3/5. Sarah Polley’s tale of female empowerment features a grand cast and bold approach to a traumatic true story, with a stellar ensemble, but it is a sombre and muted affair. [Read the review](https://www.radiotimes.com/movie-guide/b-vj670x/women-talking/) ## The i Paper — Christina Newland Fi1m's normalised score 60/100 (inferred from the text). 9 February 2023. The critic finds the film powerful, sensitive, and well-acted with poignant dialogue on solidarity and dissent, but singles out its bafflingly ugly, sludgy visuals and occasional weightiness as major drawbacks that undermine its impact. [Read the review](https://inews.co.uk/culture/film/women-talking-review-powerful-feminist-drama-2136737) ## Sight and Sound Fi1m's normalised score 30/100 (inferred from the text). 11 February 2023. The critic finds the film formulaic and didactic, shackled by its own sanctimonious script and insipid cinematography with an unreal patina, though Polley’s personal investment in the material is genuine. [Read the review](https://www.bfi.org.uk/sight-and-sound/reviews/women-talking-this-formulaic-feminist-drama-shackled-its-didactic-tactics) ## Los Angeles Times — Justin Chang 22 December 2022. The critic calls the ensemble acting the year's best and praises Polley's brilliant distillation of the novel into an artful, incisive conversation among the women. It singles out the rich, metaphor-filled dialogue and spiritual weight of the women's deliberations. [Read the review](https://www.latimes.com/entertainment-arts/movies/story/2022-12-22/women-talking-review-sarah-polley-rooney-mara-jessie-buckley-claire-foy) ## The Guardian — Mark Kermode 12 February 2023. Polley’s inventive adaptation boasts wonderfully nuanced performances from the female ensemble and a vibrant, engaging tone with acerbic humour. The real action lies in the knotty central philosophical argument among the women deciding their future. [Read the review](https://www.theguardian.com/film/2023/feb/12/women-talking-review-sarah-polley-timeless-parable-sexual-abuse-mennonites-rooney-mara-claire-foy-jessie-buckley-frances-mcdormand) ## The Hollywood Reporter — Sheri Linden 3 September 2022. Festival review. The critic praises Polley's smart, compassionate film for centering the women's powerful discussions on justice, faith, and self-liberation as revolutionary acts. It highlights the strong ensemble and thoughtful exploration of patriarchal constraints. [Read the review](https://www.hollywoodreporter.com/movies/movie-reviews/women-talking-rooney-mara-claire-foy-jessie-buckley-sarah-polley-telluride-1235206807/) ## The New York Times Rating Critic's Pick. 22 December 2022. The critic praises Sarah Polley's adaptation as a timely political parable featuring a stellar ensemble cast. The film compels viewers to think about the women's plight while inviting enjoyment of their company and conversations. [Read the review](https://www.nytimes.com/2022/12/22/movies/women-talking-review.html) ## The Times — Kevin Maher Rating ★★★★☆. 10 February 2023. Polley’s bold adaptation of the real-life atrocity is buoyed by a knockout cast including commanding turns from Foy, Mara and Buckley. The heavy material is handled with sensitivity, focusing on debate rather than graphic violence. [Read the review](https://www.thetimes.com/culture/film/article/women-talking-review-the-heavy-material-is-buoyed-by-a-knockout-cast-3ddmgnc59) ## Variety — Peter Debruge 3 September 2022. Festival review. The review describes Polley's film as a tough, uncompromising drama that assembles trauma survivors in a hayloft for urgent discussion, marking it as unlike any other film. It notes the powerful act of nonviolent protest but is a festival capsule from Telluride. [Read the review](https://variety.com/2022/film/reviews/women-talking-review-sarah-polley-1235357980/) ## Collider — Ross Bonaime Rating A-. 17 September 2022. Festival review. Polley crafts a mesmerizing and haunting adaptation focused on a group of women deciding their response to abuse in their community. The critic praises the exceptional ensemble cast, especially Claire Foy, and the restrained score as highlights of one of the year's best films. [Read the review](https://collider.com/women-talking-review-sarah-polley-rooney-mara-claire-foy-jessie-buckley/) ## /Film — Sarah Milner Rating 9/10. 15 September 2022. Festival review. The critic praises the film as an empowering testament to female resilience and collective decision-making in the face of trauma. They single out the strong ensemble performances, particularly those of Claire Foy and Jessie Buckley, for bringing depth to the dialogue-heavy story. [Read the review](https://www.slashfilm.com/1009273/women-talking-review-empowering-survivors-to-take-back-their-lives-tiff/) ## The Playlist — Gregory Ellwood Rating B+. 3 September 2022. Festival review. The critic highlights the stellar ensemble cast led by Jessie Buckley and notes how Polley keeps the talky, confined drama engaging through strong performances and occasional cinematic flourishes. They single out Ben Whishaw's supporting turn as a standout amid the dense thematic discussions. [Read the review](https://theplaylist.net/women-talking-review-jessie-buckley-stellar-cast-telluride-20220903/) ## The Skinny — Leeza Isaeva Rating ★★★★. 25 October 2022. Festival review. The critic praises the exquisite performances from the stellar ensemble cast, particularly Jessie Buckley’s tightly coiled restraint and Claire Foy’s bone-deep rage, and highlights Polley’s empathetic filmmaking that allows the film to ask complex questions about sexual violence and tolerance. [Read the review](https://www.theskinny.co.uk/film/new-releases/lff-2022-women-talking) ## Deadline — Todd McCarthy 4 September 2022. Festival review. The critic praises Sarah Polley’s immaculately made, intellectually adventurous and politically incisive drama about women in a secluded religious community debating their future after trauma. He highlights the superb female ensemble and the film’s beguiling, elusive tone that blends the frisky with the dead serious. [Read the review](https://deadline.com/2022/09/women-talking-telluride-review-rooney-mara-and-superb-female-ensemble-in-sarah-polleys-powerful-drama-1235107848/) --- © Fi1m Ltd. Written by AI under a human editor; checked against sources before publication. Quote with attribution and a link to the canonical URL. Our review: https://film.one/film/women-talking.md