Sarah Polley's 'Women Talking' Gets a December Release Date

Most people know Sarah Polley either as an actor or a director. The Canadian-born artist first rose to fame as Ramona Quimby in the late 1980s Ramona TV series, but for those who weren't a late Gen X kid, the first time most probably heard of her was her directorial debut in the 2006 feature film, Away from Her, with was nominated for an Academy Award for Best Screenplay. More recently, she's appeared in the streaming series Alias Grace, based on the Margaret Atwood novel, and which now plays like the Canadian answer to the American-made The Handmaid's Tale. But Polley has also returned to the big screen with her new feature film Women Talking, which debuted at the Telluride Film Festival.

Based upon the book of the same name by Miriam Toews, and adapted and directed by Polley, the film, like the novel, is loosely based on real-life events that occurred at the Manitoba Colony in Bolivia. In it, eight ultra-conservative Mennonite women meet in secret to discuss their options after learning they were repeatedly drugged and raped by a group of men in their colony. In real life, their decision led to the trial of seven of their male leaders, accused of raping 130 women in four years. Nearly 150 women ultimately testified, though more were afraid to come forward due to threats against their families.

As Polley's first movie to compete on the awards season circuit in nearly a decade, Women Talking has a high-profile cast of notable names, including some of the U.K.'s biggest. Though American (and perennial Best Actress nominee) Frances McDormand (The Tragedy of Macbeth) will most likely be front and center in marketing, as will Rooney Mara (The Girl With The Dragon Tattoo), the film stars a bevy of British actresses as well. Both Claire Foy (The Crown) and Jessie Buckley (The Woman In White) co-star, with Ben Whishaw (James Bond) as the group's sole male ally. American Judith Ivey (Elementary) rounds out the topline cast.