Some had flashes of memory of men standing over them, or of being dragged outside.

Back in 2005, in the ultra-conservative Mennonite community of Manitoba Colony, women, girls (and allegedly several men and boys) began waking up in the morning with ripped clothes, pounding headaches and consuming lethargy, bloodstained and often covered in semen and bruises. They became known as the ‘ghost rapes’ of Bolivia – a terrifying description of an even more horrific reality. Women Talking Michael Gibson The incidents of Manitoba Colony Bolivia is home to more than 60,000 ‘Old Colonists.’ One of these communities, the Manitoba Colony, would become infamous. The most extreme are known as ‘Old Colonists’, who believe that only living the simple life of their ancestors – using ploughs, oxen and rejecting electricity and other modern advances – will secure their place in heaven. Mennonites are a Christian church famed for their strict Protestantism and pacifism.

Traditional gender roles are strictly adhered to and often listening to music or possessing a mobile phone can be punishable by excommunication. The most radical among them live lives that would not look so dissimilar to that of a 19 th century community. Women Talking takes place in the world of an ultra-conservative Mennonite Community.Ĭonservative Mennonite Communities are much like the Amish in their eschewing of modern life. It is an extraordinary plot made even more remarkable by the fact it is based on a true story.

Should they stay and support the men in their community, or leave? The men in question have been systematically and violently sexually abusing them for years. But the decision this all-female gathering has to make is far from simple. Starring Frances McDormand, Claire Foy, Jessie Buckley and Rooney Mara, the premise of Women Talking is deceivingly simple a group of women from a fictitious Mennonite community sit in a barn and, as the title would suggest, talk. Out this month, the extraordinary and star-studded film Women Talking has already attracted a huge amount of awards buzz – not least as one of the 10 nominees for best picture at the 2023 Oscars.

Women talking the novel