Women Talking: how did this win an Oscar

I lasted ten minutes.

It’s a terrible movie, but it was the weakest Adapted Screenplay field in probably the history of the category. Because of that, an actor turned writer-director who did a movie that relies exclusively on dialogue was obviously going to win.

It has everything going for it, except actual quality. But that was the lesson of this year’s Oscars in almost every category.

I loved it, but I’m female. I thought it was great and made its point without a whole lot of “talking.” The acting was great. It’s based on a true story.

It's excruciatingly boring. And with the color drained out of it it's really hard on your brain and your patience.

Are there any naked men in it?

It wasn’t boring if you have even a thimbles capacity for empathy.

It was presented in a boring manner. The subject matter is fine.

Any empathy it set out to earn was killed by the endless boring dialogue and the dancing around what actually happened for the first 30 min (or at least I hope it was no longer than 30 min because that was all I could take).

Sarah Polley is a decent filmmaker. Alone With Her was wonderful. But this was pure torture. And her win was a joke (though nothing else nominated deserved the award. The category should have been withheld from competition this year.

Men Sucking is way better.

Why was Top Gun Maverick in Adapted Screenplay?

It was an original story.

r10 They claim it's because it's a sequel to the 1986 movie, which means it is based on pre-existing characters and story elements. Patently ridiculous.

who is "they" r11..................the film's producers or the academy?

The Academy, R12. The same rules were applied to Glass Onion, which was also also an original screenplay, but deemed adapted because it carried over one character from Knives Out.

Sarah Polley has come a long way. When she was a girl she played Ramona (from the Beverly Cleary books) and then became famous for playing Sarah Stanley in the 'Road to Avonlea' series in Prince Edward Island, based on the Lucy Maud Montgomery novels.

I didn't find it boring, and I appreciated its relative concision (at around 100 minutes), but it's my least favorite Sarah Polley film—not counting that thuddingly didactic Alias Grace miniseries, another adapted screenplay. Even Take This Waltz was better.

But it's well acted and intermittently powerful. I didn't mind the desaturated look, and I liked the way the movie hid its hand about when the story is taking place.

I agree that the Adapted Screenplay category this year was very weak. I can't recall another year in which there was such a quality gulf between the Original Screenplay nominees and the Adapted ones. At least the insufferable Rian Johnson didn't win.

[quote] Even Take This Waltz was better.

OMG, I forgot she directed that. I'm starting to think elves came in at night and made Alone With Her.

[quote] But it's well acted and intermittently powerful. I didn't mind the desaturated look, and I liked the way the movie hid its hand about when the story is taking place.

It was completely clear from the beginning that it was taking place in 2010.

She was great in the remake of Dawn of the Dead.

Lesbian at R6.

Simple. It wasn't a competitive category, OP.

But, there are worse winners. Just look at the list.

Wasn't Ben Wishaw in this?

[quote]OMG, I forgot she directed that. I'm starting to think elves came in at night and made Alone With Her.

Stories We Tell is her best feature film, but Away From Her is pretty great. Those were #3 and #1, respectively. Maybe she's an odd-numbered director.

[quote]It was completely clear from the beginning that it was taking place in 2010.

How do you figure? Was there a calendar on the wall that I missed? I didn't get anything 21st century until the census taker was driving through megaphoning the year. And I wasn't sure we were in a "modern" period until there was talk of Salome's trip for antibiotics, and August's mention of World War II.

I honestly don't remember because the film was so dull and unmemorable and I watched it a while ago, but I saw the film without knowing much of anything about it and it was clear early on it was 2010. It was only later that I read people were comparing it to The Village in terms of the plot point where it was revealed it was present day. In The Village, yes. In this, no.

What's this Sarah Polley film Alone with Her that some of you keep referring to?

I can't find any evidence of it on Sarah Polley's work history as an actress, director or writer.

They mean Away From Her.

Consolation prize because no women were nominate for Best Director.

White Women Talking- here's your answer OP

Oh, R23, you are so clever!

“Even Take This Waltz was better”.

Ouch!

I’ve read the novel of Women Talking but have not seen the film yet. Ben Whishaw seems miscast. He’s such a femme man.

My mother watched this and couldn’t make it through.

I shut it off after 30 minutes - I agree with R4 assessment.

I will wait for the sequel "Transgendered Women Talking". I hope it's better. It will certainly be more woke.

[quote]Even Take This Waltz was better.

I liked Women Talking and Take This Waltz.

Did she also do the book for that 9/11 Canadian musical Come Away Alone from Her?

Insiders said she was great with the meet and greets, very charming. It sounds like people at the high level of the movie industry have respect and goodwill towards her.