Certain Women - Review

Kelly Reichardt's Certain Women is a subdued unobtrusive film that works in subtleties -from unrequited glances to gently furrowed brows - our attention is drawn to every deliberate detail. This style of unassumingly open ended direction is found throughout the film, each moment composed pointedly, but without any implication from the director. We are shown exactingly precise portraits of our characters, however, the importance of these lives is left to the audience.

The film presents us with three different sections, each chronicling the lives of different women whose paths interlock somewhat tangentially. Reichardt plays with an expectation that some revelation will bring their stories together throughout - however she never gives us this moment - instead painting their brief encounters as coincidental. However, the characters are connected by the nature of their lives - each section telling a subtly different tale of solitude and emotional perseverance - all the women display their own unerringly stout refusal to be overwhelmed by their circumstances. 

The first section follows the life of a lawyer, played by Laura Dern, as she defends a carpenter in a personal injury case. It is here that we have the most action packed scenes when the carpenter takes a man hostage, however, as perhaps you would expect from this rather muted film, the scene plays out with a civil tranquillity. Michelle Williams stars in the second part as a businesswoman married to an aimless husband who we find is cheating; a fact that taints every moment of their interactions, giving the section a more morose tone. The film ends with a sort of romance between Kristen Stewart's law student and Lily Gladstone's rancher which plays out with an understated tenderness. Gladstone's stoic portrayal of the rancher is a highlight, approaching the relationship with an unpretentious authenticity, their moments together are oddly touching. 

Christopher Blauvelt's cinematography is also spectacular; contrasting imposing landscapes with a detailed attention to the quotidian trials of the characters, his modest style captures the true rhythms of their lives. This understated approach is echoed in a washed colour palette that heightens the austere gravity of their surroundings whilst adding to the low-key atmosphere that pervades the film. Certain Women is in almost every way, an exercise in minimalism. From the contained performances to the lean dialogue to the uncluttered visuals, the film avoids any needless flair, making everything that is included feel essential.