Certain Women
2016
***½
Director: Kelly Reichardt
Cast: Laura Dern, Kristen Stewart, Michelle Williams, Lily Gladstone, James Le Gros, Jared Harris, René Auberjonois, John Getz, Sara Rodier, Ashlie Atkinson, James Jordan
Kelly Reichardt's slice-of-life drama depicts the lives of four different women in Montana. These include a lawyer who is dealing with a difficult client, a woman who is building a new home with her undermining husband, and a lonely ranch hand who is becoming infatuated with a young lawyer who is teaching a night class. This quiet and understated film is based on Maile Meloy's short stories Native Sandstone, Travis, B., and Tome. The third story is the pick of the bunch and it features a lovely breakthrough performance from Lily Gladstone. However, I failed to wrap my head around the midsection about a pile of sandstone.
