Rooney Mara, Claire Foy, Jessie Buckley Star in Powerful Trailer for Sarah Polley's 'Women Talking '

"Why does love, the absence of love, the end of love, the need for love result in so much violence?" ponders Rooney Mara's character in the trailer for Sarah Polley's new film Women Talking.

The haunting first trailer for the drama, exclusive to PEOPLE, features Mara alongside her co-stars, including Claire Foy, Jessie Buckley, Frances McDormand, Ben Whishaw and Judith Ivey.

Adapted from Miriam Toews' book, Women Talking centers around a group of women from a remote religious community who come together to decide what to do as they grapple with the aftermath of sexual assault perpetrated by the colony's men.

"We have been preyed upon like animals. Maybe we should respond like animals," says actress Sheila McCarthy, playing one of the women from the community.

Michael Gibson

RELATED: 'Ramona' Star Sarah Polley Remembers Beverly Cleary, Creator of Characters Full of 'Mess' & 'Magic'

"In Women Talking, a group of women, many of whom disagree on essential things, have a conversation to figure out how they might move forward together to build a better world for themselves and their children," Polley describes of her film.

"Though the backstory behind the events in Women Talking is violent, the film is not. We never see the violence that the women have experienced. We see only short glimpses of the aftermath. Instead, we watch a community of women come together as they must decide, in a very short space of time, what their collective response will be."

Michael Gibson

Polley says that after reading Towes' book, "it sunk deep into me, raising questions and thoughts about the world I live in that I had never articulated. Questions about forgiveness, faith, systems of power, trauma, healing, culpability, community, and self-determination. It also left me bewilderingly hopeful."

Michael Gibson

Never miss a story — sign up for PEOPLE's free daily newsletter to stay up-to-date on the best of what PEOPLE has to offer, from juicy celebrity news to compelling human interest stories.

The United Artists film marks Polley's first film since her autobiographical documentary Stories We Tell (2012). The Canadian actress previously directed the acclaimed films Take This Waltz (2011) and Away from Her (2006).

Women Talking opens in select theaters beginning Dec. 2 and expands on Dec. 25.