In the film adaptation of Miriam Toews’ novel Women Talking, director Sarah Polley paints an intimate and powerful portrait of a group of women at a crisis point: after discovering that the men in their ultra-religious Mennonite colony have been systematically drugging and raping them, what do the women do next? Should they leave the colony, their home and community, or stay, and confront their assailants? What ensues is a powerful conversation among the women, about choices and agency. The film’s win for Best Adapted Screenplay at this year’s Academy Awards highlights the extraordinary collaboration between Polley and Toews. Join the author and director for a screening of the film and a conversation about the process of translating literature to a visual medium, creative collaboration, and the philosophical arguments at the center of the story.
