Certain Women (2016)
Directed by: Kelly
Reichardt.
Written by: Kelly
Reichardt based on the stories by Maile Meloy.
Starring: Laura
Dern (Laura), James Le Gros (Ryan), Jared Harris (Fuller), Ashlie Atkinson (Secretary),
Guy Boyd (Personal Injury Lawyer), Edelen McWilliams (Fuller's Wife), John Getz
(Sheriff Rowles), James Jordan (Hostage Specialist), Matt McTighe (Officer
Tommy Carroll), Joshua T. Fonokalafi (Amituana), Michelle Williams (Gina), Sara
Rodier (Guthrie), Rene Auberjonois (Albert), Lily Gladstone (The Rancher), Kristen
Stewart (Elizabeth Travis).
The
third story of Kelly Reichardt’s Certain Women tells is perhaps the best thing
she has ever directed – and brings out the absolute best in her as a filmmaker.
It is subtle, and heartbreaking, and ends on an absolute perfect note and is
brought to life by two great performances – one by Kristen Stewart, and the
other by Lily Gladstone, in what is really one of the decades finest turns. The
other two stories in Certain Women work as well – and Reichardt was smart
enough to know which story to end on – but they just aren’t quite as perfect as
that final one.
The
first story stars Laura Dern as a lawyer, who is having an affair with Ryan
(James LeGros) and is getting fed up with her most annoying client – Fuller
(Jared Harris). Fuller was injured on the job, clearly because of his company’s
negligence, but he already settled with them, for next to nothing – so as she
has explained to him for six months, he cannot sue them. She finally relents,
and takes to another lawyer – a man – who tells him the same thing, and he
finally listens. What follows is a lowkey hostage situation.
The
second story is about Gina (Michelle Williams), who wants to get a lot of old
sandstone from an old local man, Albert (Rene Auberjonois) – who has been
holding onto those stones for decades, always planning to do something, and
never getting around to it. She is building a new house with her husband –
Ryan, the man having the affair with Laura Dern, which never comes up in this
segment, but our knowledge of it casts a shadow over this segment – this
marriage is not solid right now. The heart of this segment is a long
conversation the three of them have – one where Gina does all the talking to
the couple, but Albert directs every reply to Ryan.
Then
comes the third, perfect segment. Lily Gladstone plays a rancher, who drifts
into town one evening and ends up in a classroom, where Elizabeth (Kristen
Stewart) is teaching a class on school law to a bunch of teachers who clearly
want more specifics on how they can get more money, or better parking, than
what Elizabeth has to teach. Elizabeth has a long drive – four hours each way -
that she to take the two nights a week she teaches the class. She and Gladstone
start heading to the local diner after each class – where Elizabeth talks about
her life, and Gladstone gladly listens. There may be romantic interest there –
on Gladstone’s part – but she’s too shy to say anything, although a romantic
horse ride one day is a high point. And then, one day, Elizabeth is not there
in class – she has been replaced.
The
first two segments in the film are clearly about lowkey, understated sexism,
and how the women in it just have to deal with it and move on. This is Wyoming after
all and complaining isn’t going to get anything done. Dern is excellent in her
role – an overworked woman who doesn’t see, or doesn’t care, how desperate
Fuller is. Harris is also excellent in his role – he’s the typical “nice guy”
with seething resentment underneath. The second segment is probably the weakest
– Williams is typically excellent, but this segment is more about the regret of
Albert than anything else – and more than anything, just kind of stops, rather
than ends.
But
that third segment is a doozy. It is Reichardt at her very best. A short story
where nothing is said aloud, outright – and yet everything is crystal clear.
The last scene between Stewart and Gladstone is heartbreaking in its
awkwardness – and then comes the best scene Reichardt has ever directed – the
long scene of Gladstone in her truck, all by herself. It’s masterful
And
to be honest, the movie probably should have ended there. The film flashes back
and shows us a coda for all three segments after that scene – codas that in
regards to the first two should have just been included in the stories in the
first place, and for the third isn’t necessary at all. They’re good scenes –
but had you left the theater right after Gladstone the ending would hit harder.
In
all though, Certain Women is another subtle triumph for Reichardt. It shows her
at her very best in that third segment – and near her best with the other two.
It’s a film that doesn’t explain, doesn’t underline – just subtly shows you
just what these women are going through. More often than not, these kind of
movies, a series of shorts, don’t work this well – and even if one of the
stories is clearly the best, all three still work.
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