I found Women Talking, about an existential conversation conducted by the women of a Mennonite community about their future, intriguing, disturbing, liberating. But one thing I didn't understand was the use of the Southern Cross as a wayfinding mark. It's a minor scene, but it threw me.
It's funny, though, how one little detail can derail your willingness to suspend disbelief, even if only momentarily. Because of course, any movie demands that you do so. Any movie is a story. Even if it's a documentary: it's told from a certain perspective. A particular message is meant to be delivered. And it needs to be consistent.
Of course of course, I got over that silly Southern Cross detail, when it came to simply appreciating the weight of the story—though I did keep wondering: where in the southern hemisphere are there Mennonite colonies? Turns out, they're all over. In 1995 in Bolivia, there were 25, with a total population of 28,567. They're in South Africa, Australia, throughout eastern Africa, Indonesia, Brazil.
That said, I was delighted to be reacquainted with the song "Daydream Believer," which appears in the context of national census takers wandering through the area, the song blasting from speakers on top of their van—completely shunned by the community, until two young women decide to go talk to the drivers:
It's so incongruous—a 1967 hit becoming the theme of the 2010 census? in Canada, no less?—and yet so very perfect: somehow, not at all anachronistic, to my mind anyway. And honestly, I can't tell you how happy that song makes me feel. Which also makes me feel oh so hopeful about the women who have been talking.
And yes, I know I've said nothing about the issues discussed in the movie. See the movie. See what you think.
1 comment:
Too bad about that Southern Cross thing. Maybe try the book? It was a such a moving exploration of personhood vs. Obedience to God. I think you’d like it.
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