Kelly Reichardt has created yet another nuanced and heart-wrenching masterpiece, this time based on Montana writer Maile Meloy's short stories. Weaving together four reserved women's lives in Livingston, Montana may not sound like the kind of film that could climb its way into your innermost guts and set up a campfire; But that is exactly what this revelatory film did for me.
Reichardt's all-star cast members give some of their greatest recent performances, led by Laura Dern as a lovelorn lawyer, Michelle Williams as a persistent progressive parent, and Kristen Stewart as an obliviously motivated 20-something. But it's astounding newcomer Lily Gladstone who humbly steals the show, as a hard-working rancher. I must say that watching someone riding a horse has truly never been such a romantic experience in all my cinematic life. Like all of Kelly Reichardt's previous treasures — OLD JOY (2006), WENDY & LUCY (2008), MEEK'S CUTOFF (2010), NiGHT MOVES (2013) — her understanding of classic American cinema is boundless, allowing her to re-envision those stories and images, breathing her very particular brand of stoic yearning into each and every gesture.
Review is from my 2016 Sundance Film Festival wrap up at www.48hills.org
Reichardt's all-star cast members give some of their greatest recent performances, led by Laura Dern as a lovelorn lawyer, Michelle Williams as a persistent progressive parent, and Kristen Stewart as an obliviously motivated 20-something. But it's astounding newcomer Lily Gladstone who humbly steals the show, as a hard-working rancher. I must say that watching someone riding a horse has truly never been such a romantic experience in all my cinematic life. Like all of Kelly Reichardt's previous treasures — OLD JOY (2006), WENDY & LUCY (2008), MEEK'S CUTOFF (2010), NiGHT MOVES (2013) — her understanding of classic American cinema is boundless, allowing her to re-envision those stories and images, breathing her very particular brand of stoic yearning into each and every gesture.
Review is from my 2016 Sundance Film Festival wrap up at www.48hills.org