The indispensable Kelly Reichardt (Wendy and Lucy, MVFF 2008) continues her exploration of quiet lives and open spaces with this adaptation of three Maile Meloy stories. Set with great regional specificity in Montana, the film richly portrays several women at a personal or professional crossroads. Gina, coveting sandstone for the house she's building with her husband; Laura, a lawyer contending with a volatile client; and Jamie, a young ranch hand besotted with her adult education teacher: these complex characters have lives that intersect in subtle ways, and all share the inchoate desire for something more or different from what they already possess. In depicting their efforts to break free of quotidian constraints, Reichardt balances the emotional valences with inimitable grace and delicacy. Kristen Stewart, Michelle Williams, Laura Dern, and Lily Gladstone sublimely bring the protagonists to life while cinematographer Christopher Blauvelt delivers counterpoint to their interior struggles with a visual palette evoking their hopes, dreams, and desires.
Guest in attendance 10/8: Kelly Reichardt (director)