REVIEW: Certain Women

Courtesy of IFC Films

Writer-director Kelly Reichardt’s latest work (based on a series of short stories by Maile Meloy) is the epitome of an art film. From a conventional narrative standpoint, practically nothing eventful happens during the movie’s 107-minute running time. However, viewers who don’t mind the measured pacing will be rewarded with a refreshingly authentic, sometimes heartbreaking depiction of what rural Wyoming existence is like for several ordinary, yet distinctly different, women.

Playing out over three loosely connected vignettes, Certain Women uses long stretches of silence and an unflinching depiction of mundane routines to illustrate the continuous frustrations and indignities – along with the occasional small victories – that accompany everyday life. In the first installment, Laura Dern plays a lawyer with a client (Jared Harris) who no one takes seriously. Even his feeble attempt at a hostage situation is met with a collective shrug from police. In fact, rather than negotiate, they send the lawyer in to talk him down.

In the next entry, a wife and mother (Michelle Williams) is determined to convince her neighbor (Rene Auberjonois) to part ways with a giant pile of sandstone in his yard. She wants it to build her dream home, despite her husband’s (James Le Gros) clear discomfort with the situation. Finally, the third and most powerful installment focuses on a quiet ranch hand (Lily Gladstone) who develops a tentative friendship with a young teacher (Kristen Stewart).

On paper, these seem like unexciting stories. However, Reichardt and her phenomenal cast locate the drama present in even the most ordinary situations. Furthermore, these characters may not show their emotions on the surface, but their body language and deafening silences tend to reveal far more than an impassioned speech would.
Dern, Williams and Stewart (taking advantage of a lifetime of Twilight franchise riches by starring in a host of compelling, noncommercial projects) are fantastic as usual, but the clear standout here is Gladstone. As I watched her astonishing performance, I found myself thinking of Heath Ledger’s work in Brokeback Mountain.

The obvious reasons are because of the third installment’s subject matter and the characters’ shared occupations. But another similarity is their use of silence as a mask to hide powerful affection and deep pain. This was my first encounter with Gladstone’s work, but I’m sure it won’t be the last. She’s got a bright future ahead of her.

Certain Women is rated R for some language. Now playing in limited release.

Grade: B