Review of Certain Women (2016) by Christopher_G2 — 31 Oct 2020

Kelly Reichardt, who has had a strong directorial track record of small, high-acclaimed, understated, character-driven films—for me a notable standout being a terrific little western from 2010 called Meek’s Cutoff—added to her career resume in 2015 with another impressive feat: Certain Women.

With this film she has solidified herself as one of the best American, female directors—or maybe of either gender—of independent films out there right now. The plotline involves three loosely-interconnected stories of women depicting their struggles within their work, their life goals, their romances etc.

High-class female talent in Laura Dern, Kristen Stewart, and the always fantastic Michelle Williams are put to wonderful use, not really with huge dramatic scenes (though some characters around them provide us that element) but with solid, realistic, and non-showy portrayals of women in life’s twists and turns.

If you haven’t yet seen a Reichardt movie, this would be an excellent first experience. Along with Meek’s Cutoff, I’d also recommend her Old Joy; and I look forward to seeing her most recent release First Cow, just released earlier this year.