March 29 – Women Talking (2022), 104 minutes, directed by Sarah Polley, starring Rooney Mara, Judith Ivey, and Claire Foy.
Women Talking is just that. Following a series of rapes in an American Mennonite colony, the women gather to discuss what to do and where to go. The film derives from accounts of serial rapes occurring in a Bolivian Mennonite community, which became the basis of a 2018 novel by Canadian Miriam Toews. Women Talking devotes itself to tough moral dilemmas brilliantly articulated through language. There is no easy consensus among the women, and director-screenwriter Sarah Polley never gives her audience simple options. The result, fueled by an ensemble of powerhouse actresses, is mesmerizing, with Polley deservedly winning an Oscar for Best Adapted Screenplay.
March 2024 CinemaLit - Women Screenwriter-Directors on Women’s Lives
March at CinemaLit features a series of five fresh and visionary films written and directed by women. Each focuses on women’s lives with an emphasis on displacement. In an industry dominated by finding the next billion dollar franchise and breakthrough technology, these films offer other ways of appreciating story and content. Join us for Jane Campion’s The Piano (1993), Nora Ephron’s Julie & Julia (2009), Lulu Wang’s The Farewell (2018), Chloé Zhao’s Nomadland (2020), and Sarah Polley’s Women Talking (2022).
March is Women's History Month and Mechanics' Institute is proud to feature works of cinematic importance, vision, and gravity by Women Screenwriters and Directors.
Matthew Kennedy, CinemaLit’s curator, has written biographies of Marie Dressler, Joan Blondell, and Edmund Goulding. His book Roadshow! The Fall of Film Musicals in the 1960s, was the basis of a film series on Turner Classic Movies. His most recent book, On Elizabeth Taylor: An Opinionated Guide, examines the screen legend's entire career.
“I don't have a favorite film,” Matthew says. "I find that my relationships to films, actors, genres, and directors change as I change over the years. Some don't hold up. Some look more profound, as though I've caught up with their artistry. I feel that way about Garbo, Cary Grant, director John Cassavetes, and others."
“Classic films have historical context, something only time can provide,” Matt observes. “They become these great cultural artifacts, so revealing of tastes, attitudes, and assumptions.”
Mechanics' Institute Members Free
Non-Members $10
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Please note: Photos and/or video may be taken during this event.
CinemaLit Films
