Certain Women (2016)

Starring: Michelle Williams, Kristen Stewart, Laura Dern

Director: Kelly Reichardt

I wasn’t sure if I’d enjoy this film, because reports all had it as being a very slow drama. I’m OK with slow, but not so much with very slow. But I was pleasantly surprised. It’s the story of three women in small town America, whose lives softly intersect each other. One wants to build her dream home, another is a lonely lecturer who makes a friend and a third is a lawyer whose client doesn’t take her advice and ends up on the wrong end of the law.

It stars three very strong performances from it’s leads, Kristen Stewart, Michelle Williams and Laura Dern are all really good in this film. They are fascinating as they keep your eyes glued to them. But what I really loved about this film is the things it says without saying anything. It’s a film where women quietly get on with their lives, but we can see what’s going on. The pain of a husband who undermines a mothers relationship with her child, the irritation and acceptance of a client who won’t take your advice but will accept it from a male colleague, the desperation of loneliness and the inability to speak strong emotions when it counts. Many films declaim their messages, this film feels more subtle and real, the things women are used to and quietly get on with.

It’s a film about life. There’s some major dramas here, but a lot of it is going on inside, and isn’t spoken about. Such a measured, restrained film.

Yes, perhaps it is slow, but it’s not a melodrama, it’s a subtle art of conveying without overstating or making the film have a message, and therefore, the emotion is all the more powerful. I found myself quite moved by it, and wasn’t frustrated at all with the pace. Powerful.

See It If: not for everyone, the low level drama may not amuse and the pace is slow for some viewers, but a rewarding and beautiful film.