Women Talking

This is based on the horrific real life story of a couple of men in a Mennonite community in Bolivia, drugging and raping the women for many years. Chamber-play style, we spend two days with 3 generations of women of 2 families, while they sit and talk and debate if the women of the community should stay to fight or leave. They are angry and fear for the safety of their children, but they also want to find a way to deal with this that doesn't conflict with their beliefs. They are believers, they live a life of obeying their husbands. They are illiterate, cut off from the world, ignorant of certain words and concepts that relate to their situation. But they are also like all of us, some are stubborn, some are full of doubt, some are forgiving, some are murderous.

Gruesome story, fascinating premises. About reconciling what you believe in with the culture it created. About being revolutionary, while being afraid of the word. The writing does a good job of not over-focusing at the gruesome deeds at its root. Toews also takes good care of giving outsiders a window into the life of Mennonites women without belittling them.