Kelly Reichardt, bless her indie sensibilities, is one of the very best American filmmakers working today. "Certain Women" makes it five for five in terms of he track record thus far. One look at her resume which consists of "Old Joy," "Wendy and Lucy," "Meek’s Cutoff," "Night Moves" and — the aforementioned — "Certain Women," and we see an auteur allergic to formula and never sacrificing her uncompromising vision for mainstream popularity. Her latest film has three short stories adapted from Maile Meloy’s writings about lonely, isolated women in the 21st century. Starring Laura Dern, Michelle Williams, Kristen Stewart and Lily Gladstone in a career making performance, this might be Reichardt’s best movie yet. Not only profound statement on female yearning in the 21st century, but delicately nuanced portrayal of an American society rotting at its core. Based on Montana writer Maile Meloy's short stories, Reichardt weaves together four stories about four different women: Laura Dern as a down on her luck lawyer, Michelle Williams as an aggressive opportunist, Kristen Stewart as a motivated, but confused night school teacher and newcomer Lily Gladstone, the film's best performance, as a hard-working rancher. It's a romantic, but pessimistic vision of western Americana.
Capsule Review: Kelly Reichardt's "Certain Women" might be her best movie yet
Kelly Reichardt, bless her indie sensibilities, is one of the very best American filmmakers working today. "Certain Women" makes it five for five in terms of he track record thus far. One look at her resume which consists of "Old Joy," "Wendy and Lucy," "Meek’s Cutoff," "Night Moves" and — the aforementioned — "Certain Women," and we see an auteur allergic to formula and never sacrificing her uncompromising vision for mainstream popularity. Her latest film has three short stories adapted from Maile Meloy’s writings about lonely, isolated women in the 21st century. Starring Laura Dern, Michelle Williams, Kristen Stewart and Lily Gladstone in a career making performance, this might be Reichardt’s best movie yet. Not only profound statement on female yearning in the 21st century, but delicately nuanced portrayal of an American society rotting at its core. Based on Montana writer Maile Meloy's short stories, Reichardt weaves together four stories about four different women: Laura Dern as a down on her luck lawyer, Michelle Williams as an aggressive opportunist, Kristen Stewart as a motivated, but confused night school teacher and newcomer Lily Gladstone, the film's best performance, as a hard-working rancher. It's a romantic, but pessimistic vision of western Americana.