Women Talking
Do nothing, stay and fight, or leave. In 2010, the women of an isolated religious community grapple with reconciling a brutal reality with their faith.
The film box office disappointment against its mid-range budget of $20.0M, earning $7.6M globally (-62% loss). While initial box office returns were modest, the film has gained appreciation for its fresh perspective within the drama genre.
1 Oscar. 65 wins & 164 nominations
Plot Structure
Story beats plotted across runtime
Narrative Arc
Emotional journey through the story's key moments
Story Circle
Blueprint 15-beat structure
Arcplot Score Breakdown
Weighted: Precision (70%) + Arc (15%) + Theme (15%)
Women Talking (2022) exemplifies precise narrative design, characteristic of Sarah Polley's storytelling approach. This structural analysis examines how the film's 15-point plot structure maps to proven narrative frameworks across 1 hour and 44 minutes. With an Arcplot score of 7.0, the film balances conventional beats with creative variation.
Structural Analysis
The Status Quo at 1 minutes (1% through the runtime) establishes Opening image: Women doing laundry in silence, bruised faces visible. The camera reveals a community living under systematic violence normalized as "women's imagination" or demonic possession.. Structural examination shows that this early placement immediately immerses viewers in the story world.
The inciting incident occurs at 12 minutes when The men leave to post bail for the attackers. The women have exactly 48 hours before the men return. Greta declares they must vote: stay and do nothing, stay and fight, or leave. This deadline forces immediate decision-making.. At 12% through the film, this Disruption aligns precisely with traditional story structure. This beat shifts the emotional landscape, launching the protagonist into the central conflict.
The First Threshold at 26 minutes marks the transition into Act II, occurring at 25% of the runtime. This illustrates the protagonist's commitment to The women actively choose to eliminate "do nothing" and engage in genuine deliberation between fighting and leaving. Ona states, "We have to think for ourselves now." This is their irreversible commitment to agency and self-determination., moving from reaction to action.
At 51 minutes, the Midpoint arrives at 50% of the runtime—precisely centered, creating perfect narrative symmetry. Of particular interest, this crucial beat Salome reveals she contemplated killing her daughter's attacker with a scythe. The women confront the reality that staying to fight means becoming like their oppressors - meeting violence with violence. This false victory (we can fight!) reveals its true cost (we become them). The stakes fundamentally shift., fundamentally raising what's at risk. The emotional intensity shifts, dividing the narrative into clear before-and-after phases.
The Collapse moment at 77 minutes (74% through) represents the emotional nadir. Here, Peters, after his suicide attempt, is carried away. Greta collapses from her infected wound. The physical manifestation of "whiff of death" - the old way (embodied by Greta, the matriarch) is dying. August confesses his love to Ona, who gently rejects him. All paths seem impossible., demonstrates the protagonist at their lowest point. This beat's placement in the final quarter sets up the climactic reversal.
The Second Threshold at 82 minutes initiates the final act resolution at 79% of the runtime. Ona synthesizes the two paths: "We can forgive them AND leave. Forgiveness is a complicated thing." This realization - that they can maintain their faith and values while refusing to stay with abusers - unlocks the path forward. The final vote is taken: they will leave., demonstrating the transformation achieved throughout the journey.
Emotional Journey
Women Talking's emotional architecture traces a deliberate progression across 15 carefully calibrated beats.
Narrative Framework
This structural analysis employs a 15-point narrative structure framework that maps key story moments. By mapping Women Talking against these established plot points, we can identify how Sarah Polley utilizes or subverts traditional narrative conventions. The plot point approach reveals not only adherence to structural principles but also creative choices that distinguish Women Talking within the drama genre.
Sarah Polley's Structural Approach
Among the 3 Sarah Polley films analyzed on Arcplot, the average structural score is 7.1, reflecting strong command of classical structure. Women Talking takes a more unconventional approach compared to the director's typical style. For comparative analysis, explore the complete Sarah Polley filmography.
Comparative Analysis
Additional drama films include Eye for an Eye, South Pacific and Kiss of the Spider Woman. For more Sarah Polley analyses, see Away from Her, Take This Waltz.
Plot Points by Act
Act I
SetupStatus Quo
Opening image: Women doing laundry in silence, bruised faces visible. The camera reveals a community living under systematic violence normalized as "women's imagination" or demonic possession.
Theme
August reads the meeting minutes: "Do we stay and do nothing? Do we stay and fight? Or do we leave?" Mejal asks, "What if we aren't meant to know?" - establishing the central question of whether faith requires submission or action.
Worldbuilding
Flashbacks reveal the attacks and discovery: women waking to bruises and blood, men caught with animal tranquilizer, the colony's bishop declaring it "wild female imagination." The women's illiteracy, religious isolation, and complete dependence on men is established. Peters family dynamics and Ona's pregnancy from rape are revealed.
Disruption
The men leave to post bail for the attackers. The women have exactly 48 hours before the men return. Greta declares they must vote: stay and do nothing, stay and fight, or leave. This deadline forces immediate decision-making.
Resistance
Initial vote results in a tie between "fight" and "leave." The women debate whether they're even capable of such decisions without male authority. Resistance comes from multiple angles: Mariche argues for staying, Scarface Janz warns of divine punishment, practical concerns about survival outside the colony are raised. August is asked to take minutes despite being male.
Act II
ConfrontationFirst Threshold
The women actively choose to eliminate "do nothing" and engage in genuine deliberation between fighting and leaving. Ona states, "We have to think for ourselves now." This is their irreversible commitment to agency and self-determination.
Mirror World
Ona shares her philosophy of forgiveness with August, revealing she wants to keep her baby conceived in rape. Her radical theology - that forgiveness doesn't require staying with abusers - becomes the thematic mirror challenging traditional interpretations.
Premise
The promise of the premise: watching illiterate, sheltered women engage in sophisticated philosophical and political debate. They discuss democracy, justice, forgiveness, mother-daughter relationships, male violence, education for girls, and what kind of world they want to create. Flashbacks show their trauma but also their bonds.
Midpoint
Salome reveals she contemplated killing her daughter's attacker with a scythe. The women confront the reality that staying to fight means becoming like their oppressors - meeting violence with violence. This false victory (we can fight!) reveals its true cost (we become them). The stakes fundamentally shift.
Opposition
Pressure intensifies as time runs out. Mariche's internalized misogyny surfaces, arguing women deserve punishment. Generational divides emerge between mothers and daughters. Practical obstacles mount: Where will they go? How will they survive? What about the boys? Peters attempts suicide, creating chaos. The enormity of leaving everything - faith, home, way of life - becomes overwhelming.
Collapse
Peters, after his suicide attempt, is carried away. Greta collapses from her infected wound. The physical manifestation of "whiff of death" - the old way (embodied by Greta, the matriarch) is dying. August confesses his love to Ona, who gently rejects him. All paths seem impossible.
Crisis
In the darkness after collapse, the women sit with their grief and fear. They tend to Greta. Mariche weeps. The weight of the decision - that choosing themselves means abandoning everything they've known - settles on them. Silence and uncertainty dominate.
Act III
ResolutionSecond Threshold
Ona synthesizes the two paths: "We can forgive them AND leave. Forgiveness is a complicated thing." This realization - that they can maintain their faith and values while refusing to stay with abusers - unlocks the path forward. The final vote is taken: they will leave.
Synthesis
The women execute their plan. They gather supplies, prepare the wagons, decide the boys under 12 can come but older boys must choose. August creates a map for them. Mariche chooses to come. They say goodbye to the few men they trust. The caravan departs at dawn, driving toward the unknown.
Transformation
Final image mirrors opening: women in a wagon, but now they drive themselves toward freedom. Ona narrates a letter to her unborn daughter about building a new world. The bruised, silent women from the opening have become authors of their own story, choosing faith on their own terms.