Spotlighting Kelly Reichardt (CERTAIN WOMEN, SHOWING UP)

Primal Screen

This week in the studio, Jack Ralph and Kelsey Pettifer join Flick Ford in the 3RRR studio to delve into the subtle yet profound body of work created by Kelly Reichardt.

They discuss films such as First Cow (2019), the political thriller Night Moves (2013), and Wendy and Lucy (2008). The conversation covers Reichardt's challenges in getting her films made, her resistance to mainstream conventions, and her ability to develop indie films with strong casts delivering natural performances. They also explore the recurring actors and the themes that weave through each of her films.

The discussion features the 2016 film CERTAIN WOMEN, a triptych of stories centred on women leading local lives in middle America, based on the writing of Maile Meloy. The Guardian’s Wendy Ide describes Reichardt’s approach in Certain Women as going ‘beyond naturalism and landing somewhere between painful introversion and acute empathy.’
They also touch on Reichardt's 2022 film SHOWING UP, which follows Portland-based sculptor Lizzy as she prepares for an upcoming show. The film is celebrated by die-hard Reichardt fans for its strong adherence to the director’s signature anti-dramatic style. Showing Up presents an artist working in real-time, without her process being filtered through a romanticised lens, resulting in a very grumpy yet authentic Michelle Williams comedy-drama.
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