Writer-director Kelly Reichardt has emerged as one of the most important indie filmmakers in cinema today. Her body of work includes the wagon-trail survival epic ‘Meek’s Cutoff’ and the heartbreaking drama about a drifter and her dog ‘Wendy and Lucy.’ Both stories take place in Oregon and star Michelle Williams. She returns with two other indie darlings Laura Dern and Kristen Stewart for ‘Certain Women.’ Based on three short stories by author Maile Meloy, Reichardt this time takes advantage of Montana’s majestic beauty and snow-covered mountains as the dramatic backdrop. For those unfamiliar with Reichardt’s style of filmmaking, she pays close attention to the mundane and quiet moments that make up everyday life. It’s the little things that Reichardt finds meaningful and why ‘Certain Women’ is a breathtaking look at the struggles of the female experience.
It may look on the surface that nothing much happens. This is a melancholy anthology that uses minimal dialogue. As the camera lingers on the actresses, it perfectly captures the mood. Working with her go-to cinematographer Christopher Blauvelt, rural Montana is gorgeously captured throughout the film. Shot on 16mm, the women are filmed among serene landscapes like a painting. It provides a meditative quality to the scenes. The stories all focus on hard-working women dealing with a man’s world. The vignettes show their frustrations with men that simply don’t want to listen to them. These are fiercely independent women that are put-upon by a culture that refuses to let go of outdated stereotypes. The rigid stoicism displayed particularly by the men adds to the women’s sadness and loneliness.
The three women in the film are loosely connected. Laura Wells (Laura Dern) plays a lawyer with a stubborn client. Fuller (Jared Harris) shows up at her office without an appointment. He invades her space. He is upset about a decision that prevents him from collecting damages for a work-related injury from a former employer. Unemployed and morose, you just know something bad is going to happen. Laura has compassion for Fuller but is running out of patience with him. He simply refuses to believe her professional opinion. She schedules an appointment with a male attorney that repeats what she has already explained to him. The situation gets out of control as the distraught man’s emotions run high. There is a bit of humor peppered through the anticlimax similar to a Coen Brothers’ film.
The next story deals with Gina Lewis (Michelle Williams) and her bearded husband Ryan (James Le Gros). There is a connection between Laura and Gina that says a good deal about the state of her marriage. The couple is in the process of building a house in the countryside. They have a daughter Guthrie (Sara Rodier) who would rather listen to music with her ear buds than to her mother. For some reason, their relationship is strained. Gina and Ryan visit an elderly neighbor Albert (Rene Auberjonois) to negotiate a deal for a pile of unused sandstone on his property. The first thing you notice is how insignificant Albert makes Gina feel during their conversation. One of the motifs running through Reichardt’s film is how the women are not being heard by the men. It’s frustrating for the women as they deal with it in silence.
The third and most resonant story is Beth Travis (Kristen Stewart), a young lawyer teaching a night class on the topic of education law. By pure coincidence, a ranch hand Jamie (Lily Gladstone) wanders into the classroom. After class, Jamie stays behind and forms a bond with the exhausted teacher. At a greasy spoon diner, Beth explains her 8-hour roundtrip commute to teach the class. With a warm smile and few words, you sense that Jaime has a crush on Beth. After another class session, Jaime invites Beth for a horseback ride to the diner. It’s a romantic gesture on Jaime’s part as the horse trots under the moonlight. Reichardt intersperses scenes of Jaime silently tending to the horses on the ranch. At the next class, Beth is absent as a male instructor takes over the class. The expression on Jaime’s face is one of anguish. Impulsively, she gets in her truck and drives overnight to Livingston, Montana where Beth lives and works. Without giving too much away, the encounter in the parking lot where Beth practices law is awkward. Jaime’s yearning is heartbreaking to watch.
Reichardt’s film is a subtle depiction of the female experience. It’s a quietly powerful and minimalist work. All the actresses deliver moving performances. It’s the third and final story between Stewart and Gladstone that carries the most resonance. The relationship between the two women is so raw and honest. It’s one of longing. Once again, Stewart digs deeply to find the essence of her character. Newcomer Gladstone is one to watch. For the hardcore cinephile, ‘Certain Women’ is an exquisitely crafted film that shows the quiet moments that reveal the most in everyday life.
