Michael's Movie Grade: A+
A beautifully moving and thought-provoking work of art.
This film centers around a group of women living in an isolated village, where all of them (including the children have been brutally abused, yet this society does nothing to protect them from this. They know that they must either fight back or run away. The majority of this movie takes place with the women holding secret meetings to discuss which course of action they should take, To have a film take place mostly in one building and be so dialogue heavy is a very dangerous risk for any filmmaker to take, yet director/writer Sarah Polley succeeds brilliantly. Much of the reason for this is that the dialogue is fantastic. There is not a word wasted in this film and this dialogue explores deep themes in a wonderfully complex manner. There is nothing simplistic about this film's approach to these topics and there are no easy answers given at any point. Despite these women not being literate or educated, they are not in any way dumb or naive and characters on all sides of these discussions bring up fascinating points that really got me thinking deeply about these subjects. Some of my favorite discussions have to do with the idea of forgiveness and what it truly means to forgive and how it differs heavily from allowing others to abuse you and whether or not forgiveness is even possible in extreme situations like this. Again this movie does not give any simple answers to this and these conversations left me with much food for thought that lasted well past when the end credits stopped rolling. Rarely before have I even thought so deeply and long about just what the word forgiveness actually means. The fact that this movie could inspire such thoughts are truly a testament to how incredible of an artform film actually is and just what it is capable of. Yet this movie is not simply a collection of intellectual speeches. Instead these discussions come directly from who these characters are and each of these characters has their own distinct personality. The fact that these characters become so real to us and that their personalities are so vivid and complex makes this film not just a cerebral experience but a very emotional one as well. You truly care what happens to each of these characters and this plays a major role in the movie's success. Also despite the fact that this movie is very dialogue heavy and is confined to one place, it never feels stage bound but rather very cinematic. The movie has a unique look to it especially with its use of color. The filmmakers had thought about making this film in black and white but instead opted to use very muted colors. This was definitely the right choice as it gives the film a look that is not only unique but also gives the story a feeling that is set apart from any time period or place. This look gives the feeling of a place that embodies both the past and present. This is important as the themes of the film are truths that are as old as time itself but which are just as true today. Unfortunately it seems like there will always be prejudice, abuse, greed for power and people who twists the words of the Bible to mean, not what it actually says but what they can use for their need for control or to support an evil agenda. There is a feeling that this isolated village could actually exist somewhere in our world today which is a truly chilling thought. The use of muted colors also gives this film a bleaker more melancholy feel, while not making it one that is simply depressing to watch or one where a hope for a brighter future cannot exist. Add to all this an incredible cast including Claire Foy, Jessie Buckley, Judith Ivey, Sheila McCarthy, Ben Whishaw, Rooney Mara and Frances McDormand and you have a simply incredible film.
Simply a brilliant movie that everyone who takes film seriously as an artform should watch.
