Tag Archives: Sheila McCarthy

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The Well

by Adam Barney

Scarcity of resources always brings out the worst in humanity. With everything that is going on in the world right now, the conflict at the heart of The Well feels more plausible than ever.

In Hubert Davis’s film, society has collapsed and almost all of the world’s water has been contaminated with a deadly virus. Deep in the woods, Sarah (Shailyn Pierre-Dixon) and her parents guard a homestead that has the most valuable resource – a well with unlimited water that is safe to consume. When the filter for the well goes bad, Sarah must help her family by venturing out into the world to try and find a replacement part.

Sarah’s journey leads her to a cult led by the enigmatic Gabriel (Sheila McCarthy), who has held her ragtag group together on the promise of leading them to salvation. Sarah must not only navigate the dangers of the unforgiving world, but decide who she can trust when everyone is out for their own survival.

The Well is going to feel very familiar to anyone who has been watching the deluge of post-apocalyptic movies and shows released over the past decade. It doesn’t really offer anything new or unique, the plot largely unfolding as you would expect with characters that won’t stick with you too long afterward the closing credits. While it is well shot and acted, The Well ’s limited budget keeps the action in the woods. The film’s pace is slow, and it doesn’t really create much tension along the way. I like the idea of the world that The Well is trying to create, I just wish it offered up something more entertaining or memorable.

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She Said/She Said

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Women Talking

by Hope Madden

“Maybe sometimes people confuse forgiveness with permission.”

With nuanced writing and what may be 2022’s finest ensemble, Women Talking, the latest from filmmaker Sarah Polley, delivers quiet, necessary insight.

Polley invites us to witness a secret gathering of women. A select group from an isolated religious community has been chosen to make a decision for the entire sisterhood: do nothing, stay and fight, or leave.

For as long as any of them can remember, the women of the flock have been sexually preyed upon and told that they were wrong – they were lying, imagining it, or in league with demons. And they believed this, more or less, until one attacker was caught in the act. Now, while the men are in town bargaining for the release of the attackers, the women must come to a consensus about what to do next.

Think of it as 12 Angry Men, only not all of them are angry and not one of them is a man.

The entire cast is miraculous. Rooney Mara delivers an unusually gentle performance, while Frances McDormand (who also produces) leaves a heavy weight with her few moments onscreen.

Jessie Buckley and Claire Foy are both on fire, one angry at everyone, the second angry enough at the men for everyone. The way Polley, who adapts Miriam Toews novel with Toews, unveils each individual’s motivations is remarkable. Her camera and script linger over moments of compassion and consideration. Women Talking dwells here, as if to point out that these women will offer each other everything the men they know would not.

Polley shows respect for these women – not just for their bodies, their agency, their humanity. She shows uncommon respect for their faith. This is what every faith-based film should look like.

Though dialog-heavy (as you might expect, given the title), the film never feels stagnant. A languid camera emphasizes the lovely tranquility of the community when the men are absent, but Polley generates palpable tension as time ticks away and the women’s opportunity to make a decision draws to a close.

Women Talking is a quietly stunning achievement and a reminder of the power of dialog and respect.