Canada • d: Sarah Polley • 1h 44m • Courtesy of United Artists Releasing
In a hayloft on a prairie far away, a group of Mennonite women gathers to conspire. They have choices, just like us: they could do nothing; they could stay and fight; or they can leave. The metaphor is as clear as the light, for they need to outlast the abuse they endure from men. We never see these men, but we gather their power in the women’s eyes. This is a movie that reminds us of Carl Dreyer, but this adaptation of Miriam Toews’ novel has women’s survival as its faith, and its look, its light, and its sound emerge through the writing and direction of Sarah Polley. Lit up by radiantly fierce performances (Rooney Mara, Claire Foy, Jessie Buckley, Sheila McCarthy, and Judith Ivey) this is, to quote the film, “an act of female imagination,” yet another Polley masterpiece, and, unequivocally, the film for now.
About the Telluride Film Festival
The Telluride Film Festival has been, for the last 49 years, a celebration of the art of film: honoring the great masters of the cinema, discovering the rare and unknown, bringing new works by the world’s greatest directors and the latest in American independent film to a small mountain town in Colorado. The New York Times called Telluride “the smallest, most original, and most stimulating of the major festivals,” while Entertainment Tonight simply said it was “the world’s best festival.”
About Telluride By The Sea
The Music Hall and the Telluride Film Festival collaborate on an exclusive presentation of six new features, brought directly from their Colorado debuts. This unique and intimate Portsmouth event treats audience members from across the Northeast to an exclusive peek into the Telluride experience—packing one September weekend in Portsmouth with the latest international cinema, private parties, great music, delicious food, and inspired conversations with other cinephiles of all ages, tastes, and backgrounds.
Schedule
Fri., 9/16 • 7pm • TÁR
Sat., 9/17 • 12pm • Bardo
Sat., 9/17 • 4pm • Women Talking
Sat., 9/17 • 7:30pm • The Wonder
Sun., 9/18 • 12pm • Wildcat
Sun., 9/18 • 3pm • Tori and Lokita
Sun., 9/18 • 6pm • Icarus: The Aftermath
