There are so many great sides of dialogue in the script and movie, several of them in the form of…
However, what dialogue I will focus on here is one side, two lines spoken by the character I consider to be the primary Protagonist in the…
There are so many great sides of dialogue in the script and movie, several of them in the form of monologues which, as noted previously, offer an opportunity for a number of the women to reveal something essential about who they are … each as a protagonist in their own individual life-journey.
However, what dialogue I will focus on here is one side, two lines spoken by the character I consider to be the primary Protagonist in the story: Ona.
“Hope for the unknown is good. It is better than hatred of the familiar.”
I choose this line for two reasons. First, it speaks to the decision the women make to leave, rather than stay and fight. It reminds me of that line from The Shawshank Redemption: “Get busy livin’. Or get busy dyin’.”
Get busy livin’ | Hope for the unknown is good
Get busy dyin’ | It is better than hatred of the familiar
Even if they were to stay and fight, they would be doing so on the terms dictated by the men and I fear the battle between Matriarchy and Patriarchy would take the form of “dyin’,” maybe even quite literally.
Whereas by leaving the cult – and that is what it is – the women could dictate their own terms, create their own form of community.
Isn’t it interesting the use of that word “hope.” For that is key to Red’s transformation in Shawshank. He goes from saying, “Hope is a dangerous thing” to the very last words of the movie: “I hope.”
The second reason: The line speaks to our current reality. There is so much misogyny, xenophobia, racism, so much “hatred of the familiar” in our world today. Humans exist side by side with other humans, and yet far too many refuse to see our shared humanity.
The women in Women Talking have a shared humanity from the very beginning of the story: They are all subject to the rules, practices, and whims of the men. Yet, they exhibit differences in their ongoing dialogue in the barn loft. With their communication, they share deeper truths about each other which makes them realize an even deeper understanding of the humanity they share, one which eventually enlivens them to the possibility of what they could become outside the cult.
Whichh leads to claim this: “Hope for the unknown is good.”
They do not know where they will be going or how they will survive, only that they will survive … and hopefully thrive.
Women Talking is a powerful movie. Would that we, as people, would communicate with each other and get past our surface differences … to embrace our shared humanity.