Review: 'Certain Women' Examines Noise In Silence

Michael Simon ‘19 / Emertainment Monthly Staff Writer
In an industry that seems to be constantly flooded with films about action, adventure, science-fiction, or thrilling suspense, a quiet and reflective piece is always a welcome entry. Certain Women is a quiet picture that rides on its main actors, the cinematography, and most of all, the moments when the two are matched together in prolonged silence and reflection. The film allows the audience to truly identify with those it focuses on.
One of the first things to note in a film like this is the precision given to each and every shot in Certain Women. Since independent pictures usually have comparatively smaller budgets to work with, they often have to do more with less, and this is certainly an area where Kelly Reichardt’s film shines. From the very first shot of Certain Women, an aura of separation and solitude begin to be established; the opening shot of a peaceful Montana field is cut in half by the blaring sound of a train engine, splitting the scene into two different sections. This motif carries on to each of the main characters. Whether it was the unhinged office door that blocks Laura Wells (Laura Dern) from the audience’s sight, the windows of separation that repeatedly trap Gina Lewis (Michelle Williams), or the blocking heads of classroom students that separate Jamie (Lily Gladstone) from her teacher, Beth Travis (Kristen Stewart), these characters were left in a constant state of complete isolation from those that surrounded them.

Certain Women is split into thirds, the first one focused on the life of a personal-injury attorney (Dern) who finds herself constantly used as a prop to those around her. Whether she finds herself at the mercy of an overbearing (and violent) client who refuses to accept reality, or a police force that sends her into a hostage negotiation like a piece of meat, Laura Wells’ section of the film simply involves her doing what others tell her. Dern brings a lot to this character, probably giving the greatest amount of silent reflection as others react around her. She emotes quietly as her client breaks down in her car, slowly becoming one the film’s most isolated characters. Even Wells’ and her pet dog do not appear in the same shot. Her section of the film is an establishment of the somber tone that is to follow.
As the film switches gears to Michelle Williams’ story, it shows how even a woman surrounded by family can still feel trapped and alone. Separated by camp tents and hidden jokes, she tries to work with her adulterous husband to score a deal for a pile of sand stone. The stone she seeks to purchase comes from an elderly man who seems to be suffering by some sort of memory loss, and ironically, he is one of the only people Williams’ character connects with in the entire story – and even he misunderstands her.

Finally, we see the story of two women who feel alone, even with each other as company. This section, shared by Lily Gladstone and Kristen Stewart, involves a teacher and a student of a school-law class that neither one truly meant to be in. As Gladstone grows infatuated with her teacher, it eventually becomes clear that the teacher simply wants to escape her undesirable fate. The tragedy of this section is that neither women is intending to be mean or antagonistic, but rather, they are simply misunderstood. There is no forced happy ending or unrealistic outcome; simply a retelling of life as it happens to unfold.
Now, the film is not without its flaws. The pacing can drag on as the silence can grow a bit overwhelming at times – but perhaps that’s part of the overall intended impact. Additionally, the film never truly connects the three stories together in any tangible way, and instead feels like three vignettes that get loosely strung together. This quality is perhaps a mere remnant of the group of short stories that the film is based off of. Taking this into account, Certain Women is still a film worth seeing, if only for how its simple concept and precise execution play out on a screen that has recently grown too accustomed to spectacle.
Overall Grade: B+
Watch The Trailer:
[embedyt] http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=1_Lznehy2-s[/embedyt]