TORONTO — Crowds of Hollywood powerhouses, including Rooney Mara and Claire Foy, made their way through narrow hallways, past Beignet plates, and in an endless stream of Oscar-proclaimed patrons inside restaurant Lapinou on Tuesday night. The scene was noisy and hectic. Buzz.
It was the after party for the new drama “” at the Toronto International Film Festival.women’s storyBut actually speaking (rather than yelling) required running outside, as I did in the middle of the night with the film’s director, Sarah Polley. Dressed in her sharp suit and tie, Paulie seemed unperturbed by both the raucous soiree and the high-stakes premiere she had just arrived.
“I’m really happy and calm,” Paulie told me with a gentle smile.a little Happy — not in a jacked-up, nutty way.
A higher level of well-being would have been fully guaranteed after Paulie spent just two weeks: After the film’s successful opening at the Telluride Film Festival, she and her cast flew to Toronto for another warm We were welcomed. It hits theaters this December, making her one of the most talked-about movies of the season.
Based on the novel by Miriam Towes, “Women Talking” follows female members of the Mennonite colony as they decide whether to stay or go. Their closed life has been subverted by a series of sexual attacks by men in their community, and staying in will, for better or worse, maintain the status quo. We are at risk of continuous attacks.
But for these Mennonite women, who have never seen a map or been taught to read and write, leaving the only world they have ever known is also a tall order. increase. A group of women, including Marla, Foy and Frances the character played by her McDormand, gather in a haystack to discuss decisions that could change the rest of their lives.
“Women Talking” ignited Oscar talk for Paulie and her performers after its Telluride premiere two weeks ago, but anxiety initially mounted ahead of its first screening. So Pauly suggested a hike.
“The operating principle was that even if the movie turned out to be terrible, you should at least have a great morning so that you could have a great day,” she said. I think it’s wise to start with something good that can’t be broken.”
That mountain trek with her cast went so well that even after the premiere, actress Jessie Buckley decided to lead them on a second hike the next day. I’m a really serious hiker,” Pauley said.
Toronto is Paulie’s hometown, where she “sweet afterlife’ before the segue to the director. In fact, she was so sure Toronto audiences couldn’t come out on top that “Women Talking” is busy with festival appearances and premiere dates, but from now on, Pauley will be playing every time the film rewinds. I plan to apologize politely.
“I decided that the first time it was shown in Toronto would be the last time I saw the film,” she said. “Tonight I felt complete. Saying goodbye to every scene and every frame of the movie.”
But if there’s one thing she misses now that she’s no longer watching movies with audiences, it’s that in this heavy drama, something light happens and the moviegoers around her laugh. This is the moment when you realize that you have obtained permission.
“That’s when you feel the audience coalesce and have some kind of collective reaction,” Pauley said. .”