You ever watch a movie where practically nothing happens, yet you feel like your heart just got run over by a truck? That’s the vibe of Certain Women Kelly Reichardt. Honestly, if you’re looking for high-octane explosions or snappy Sorkin-esque dialogue, you’re in the wrong place. But if you’ve ever felt like you’re talking and nobody is actually listening—or if you’ve ever sat in a diner at 2:00 AM just to be near someone—then this film is basically a mirror.
Released in 2016, this movie didn’t just pop out of nowhere. It’s based on short stories by Maile Meloy, specifically from her collections Half in Love and Both Ways Is the Only Way I Want It. Reichardt, who is kinda the queen of "slow cinema," took these stories and planted them in the big, cold, lonely landscape of Montana.
The Triptych: Three Stories, One Ache
The film is a triptych. It’s three separate stories that barely touch each other, like people passing in a grocery store aisle.
First, you’ve got Laura Dern playing a lawyer named Laura. She’s dealing with a client, Fuller (played by a very twitchy Jared Harris), who just won’t accept that his personal injury case is a dead end. He’s been told the same thing for eight months. But the second a male lawyer says it? Suddenly, he hears it. It’s that subtle, exhausting sexism that makes you want to scream into a pillow.
Then there’s the hostage situation.
Wait, did I say nothing happens? I lied. There’s a hostage crisis. But in a Certain Women Kelly Reichardt world, even a hostage crisis feels muted. Laura has to go in and talk Fuller down. It’s not a Bruce Willis moment. It’s just sad. It’s two tired people in a room, and when it’s over, Laura goes back to her taupe-colored life.
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That Sandstone Struggle
The second story features Michelle Williams as Gina. She’s building a house. She wants it to be "authentic," so she tries to buy some vintage sandstone blocks from an elderly man named Albert.
This segment is uncomfortable. It’s about the way we "settle" things. Gina’s husband, Ryan (who, by the way, is having an affair with Laura from the first story), is a total wet noodle. He doesn't back Gina up when Albert ignores her. Watching Gina try to navigate Albert’s passive-aggression while her husband just stands there? It’s a lot. Reichardt uses 16mm film here, and you can practically feel the grit of that Montana dirt.
The Heartbreak of the Rancher
If the first two stories are the bread, the third story is the soul-crushing filling. This is where Lily Gladstone (long before her Killers of the Flower Moon fame) absolutely destroys everyone.
She plays a rancher—the movie doesn't even give her a name in the credits, she’s just "The Rancher." Her life is a loop:
- Feed the horses.
- Check the fence.
- Watch a little TV.
- Sleep.
- Repeat.
One night, she follows a line of cars into a school and ends up in an education law class. The teacher is Beth, played by Kristen Stewart. Beth is stressed. She’s driving four hours each way just to teach this night class because she’s a recent law grad drowning in debt.
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The Rancher is smitten. Not in a "let’s have a rom-com montage" way, but in a "I will ride my horse to your class just to see you" way. They go to a diner. They eat (well, Beth eats; the Rancher just watches). It’s the most heartbreakingly lopsided connection you’ll ever see. When Beth stops showing up, the Rancher drives all the way to Livingston to find her.
The rejection isn't mean. It’s worse. It’s indifferent.
Why We Are Still Talking About Certain Women Kelly Reichardt
Most movies try to fill the silence. Kelly Reichardt lets the silence sit there until it gets awkward. She’s a master of showing how space—physical space, like the vastness of Montana—creates emotional space.
People often ask why the stories don't wrap up neatly. Well, life doesn't wrap up.
In the first story, Laura visits Fuller in jail. He’s still lonely. In the second, Gina gets her sandstone, but her marriage still feels hollow. In the third, the Rancher goes back to her horses.
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The film challenges the idea that a woman’s story has to be about a grand triumph or a tragic death. Sometimes, it’s just about the "persistent, frustrating things that wake you up in the middle of the night," as critic Sophie Mayer once put it.
How to Actually Watch This Movie
If you’re going to dive into Certain Women Kelly Reichardt, do yourself a favor:
- Turn off your phone. This isn't a "second screen" movie. If you miss the way Lily Gladstone looks at Kristen Stewart for three seconds, you’ve missed the whole point.
- Listen to the sound. The jingle of a dog's collar, the wind, the sound of boots in the snow—it’s all intentional.
- Don’t look for "The Twist." There isn't one. The "twist" is that life keeps going even when your heart is breaking.
The movie is a masterpiece of empathy. It asks us to look at the people we usually ignore—the overworked lawyer, the "pushy" wife, the lonely ranch hand—and see them as the heroes of their own quiet, desperate epics.
If you want to understand modern American indie film, you have to start here. Reichardt doesn't need a big budget or a green screen to show you the world. She just needs a camera, a few sandstone blocks, and a woman who has something to say, even if no one is listening.
Ready for a deep dive into more minimalist cinema? You might want to check out Reichardt's other work like Wendy and Lucy or First Cow to see how she handles themes of survival and friendship.