Tag: Kelly Reichardt

SHOWING UP (2023) – Review

Aside from the warmer temps and the arrival of the big Summer blockbuster flix, the waning days of Spring also bring the conclusion of the school year for many students from public schools and colleges (yes, they often operate with limited classes in Summer). So, how about a fairly somber film set in the world of academia? And to get more specific, perhaps a slice of life set in an art school, a place filled with folks working on projects for display from paint on canvas to hanging bits of string and fabric would “fit the bill”. Yes, that’s the setting for this character study about an artist that learns that much of the hard work of her creative life is focus, determination, and simply SHOWING UP.

The artist in question is Lizzy (Michelle Williams), who spends most of her time in the workshop space she’s set up in the garage of the house she’s renting. Well, she’s really living in half of the house owned by another artist named Jo (Hong Chau). Lizzy is furiously working on clay sculptures that will be on display soon at a gallery show of her creations. Not helping her progress is the lack of hot water, which landlord Jo is not attending to (instead she’s also prepping for a show and making a tire swing for the big backyard tree). They both are on the staff of an art college outside of Portland run by Lizzy’s frazzled mother Jean (Maryann Plunkett). The rest of the eccentric teachers are helpful and supportive, especially Eric (Andre Benjamin) who runs the kiln (essential to Lizzy). The tension ramps up when Lizzy’s cat mangles a pigeon that swooped inside her place. She releases the injured bird into the wild, but Jo retrieves it and asks her to look after it as it heals (and Jo sets up her own art display). Then Lizzy must visit her pottery artist father, Bill (Judd Hirsch), and personally invite him to her show, He has his hands full with visiting houseguests (Amanda Plummer and Matt Malloy) who are content to mooch food and take over his living room. Luckily Bill can give Lizzy info on her socially awkward brother Sean (John Magero) who hasn’t responded to any of her invitation attempts. Between her family, the injured bird, and her slow-moving landlord, will Lizzy get everything together before the “big show” opening day reception arrives?

Williams cements her “rep” as one of our most versatile screen stars with her take on an everywoman who almost blends into the background, in many sequences. Her Lizzy is there to react and “roll with the punches” when dealing with other personalities and unexpected situations. It’s not to say that she “coasts along” as her domestic chaos finally “lights her fuse” (“Who’s in my parking spot?!”). Williams shows how Lizzy’s almost at “the brink” as she pushes herself toward her artistic “finish line”. For much of the story’s runtime, her adversary is Chau’s Jo who seems indifferent to Lizzy’s concerns as she doesn’t let her own art shows overwhelm her while seeming to ignore her tenant’s pleas. Perhaps Lizzy is envious of Jo’s blase attitude toward her work and life. Benjamin is the campus”mellow fellow”, quick with a smile who is “diggin’ the groove” in his work and social life. Plunkett is prickly and distracted as Jean who flits about the school’s offices as though she has a dozen plates spinning with her animosity toward her ex-husband finally earning her intense focus. Hirsch is an affable charmer, the “godfather of clay” who delights in the blossoming talents of his kids but is content to be a distant mentor. Magaro conveys a real sense of slowly simmering volatile chaos as the unpredictable, flighty Sean, whose main concern is his lack of access to his TV shows (“I’m being blocked.”). Plummer and Malloy supply some quirky comic relief as the guests that linger well past the “welcome stage”.

This film is the fourth collaboration between Williams and filmmaker Kelly Reichardt who directed from the screenplay she co-wrote with Jonathan Raymond. And of the four it may be the least compelling. Being a former art college student I appreciated the attention to detail, getting the atmosphere of languid creativity just right, much like the comedy/mystery ART SCHOOL CONFIDENTIAL from 2006. Like that weird graphic novel adaptation I was almost experiencing sensory flashbacks (“sniff” is that turpentine or epoxy) and feeling as though the camera was right behind me in those hectic days of deadlines and endless “drying times” as artists worked on too-long strips of canvas on the hallway floors. But the mood’s not enough to make the story interesting as little subplots drop in and out with little resolution, from the wounded bird to the somewhat unhinged brother. At the tale’s heart is the odd passive-aggressive bond between Lizzy and Jo which feels dramatically shallow. The sense of “art drudgery” is there, but the build-up to the big gallery show doesn’t puck a real thematic “punch”. It’s great to see Williams paired again with the always-engaging Hirsch, and she is a strong scene partner for Chau, but they can’t overcome the meandering pace. The details are spot on, but it’s not enough to spark interest in the non-art school crowd who the studio hopes will be SHOWING UP at the cinemas.

1.5 Out of 4

SHOWING UP is now playing in select theatres

Kelly Reichardt’s Critically Acclaimed FIRST COW Now Available on Blu-ray and DVD

With a 96% score on Rotten Tomatoes, First Cow arrives on Blu-ray™ (plus DVD & Digital) September 8 from Lionsgate. From critically renowned director Kelly Reichardt, the film world premiered at the Telluride Film Festival in August 2019 and screened to great acclaim at the New York Film Festival in September 2019 and the Berlin International Film Festival in February 2020. First Cow stars John Magaro, Orion Lee, Golden Globe® and Primetime Emmy® nominee Toby Jones (2013, Outstanding Lead Actor in a Miniseries or a Movie, The Girl), Ewen Bremner, Primetime Emmy® nominee René Auberjonois (2001, Outstanding Guest Actor in a Drama Series, TV’s “The Practice”) and Alia Shawkat. Including a bonus featurette, First Cow will be available on Blu-ray (plus DVD & Digital) for the suggested retail price of $24.99.

Two travelers, on the run from a band of vengeful hunters in the 1820s Northwest, dream of striking it rich — but their tenuous plan to make their fortune on the frontier comes to rely on the secret use of a wealthy businessman’s prized dairy cow. With their scheme landing somewhere between honest ingenuity and pure grift, renowned filmmaker Kelly Reichardt finds a graceful and deeply moving origin story of America in their unlikely friendship and fragile life at the margins.

BLU-RAY / DVD / DIGITAL SPECIAL FEATURES

  • “A Place in This World” Featurette

CAST

John Magaro               The Big Short, Overlord, TV’s “Orange Is the New Black”

Orion Lee                    Skyfall, Star Wars: The Last Jedi, TV’s “Tyrant”

Toby Jones                 The Hunger Games, Jurassic World: Fallen Kingdom, The Girl

Ewen Bremner            Trainspotting, Wonder Woman, T2 Trainspotting

Rene Auberjonois       M*A*S*H, McCabe & Mrs. Miller, Brewster McCloud

Alia Shawkat               TV’s “Arrested Development,” “Search Party,” “Living with Yourself”

FIRST COW – Review

Orion Lee (left) as “King-Lu” and John Magaro (right) as “Cookie” in director Kelly Reichardt’s FIRST COW, released by A24 Films. Credit : Allyson Riggs / A24 Films

Kelly Reichardt’s FIRST COW offers a tale of friendship and American dreams, set in a hardscrabble frontier outpost in early 19th century Oregon territory, place that is less a community than a microcosm of the flaws of capitalism carved out of a green, lush wilderness. Two friends, a quiet, gentle baker known as Cookie (John Magaro) and a talkative, ambitious Chinese immigrant named King-Lu (Orion Lee) hatch a scheme to sell baked goods made with milk pilfered from the area’s first and only cow, the property of the wealthy local bigwig, known as Chief Factor (an excellent Toby Jones), who rules the outpost like the British lord he fancies himself.

There is, of course, a cow, a beautiful brown pedigreed milk cow, the first cow in the territory reportedly but certainly the first at the outpost. Chief Factor intended to bring the cow, a bull and a calf from San Francisco but only the cow survived the trip. Reichardt shows the arrival of the cow in glowing light, as if it is a magical creature.

FIRST COW is a most engaging film, one that often feels like a fairy tale as it unfolds it’s simple tale but a film that deepens as it unfolds, thanks in large part to the wonderful performances by John Magaro and Orion Lee as the two friends at the center of the tale. The drama was set to debut in theaters in March, and had opened in some already, just as the coronavirus pandemic shut theaters down. Still, the film was already garnering awards buzz, and it is now getting a release on video-on-demand starting July 10.

Reichardt’s languid, contemplative, unconventional Western opens with a quote from William Blake, “the bird a nest, the spider a web, man friendship,” and explores the bonds of friendship, the power of dreams and ambitions, and the flaws in the foundational American myths of capitalism. The film weaves its simple but irresistible tale around dual themes: male friendship and economics, creating an unforgettable tapestry .

Reichardt makes her points about economics subtly and indirectly, presenting the situation and leaving us to draw our own conclusions. She is more direct in painting the portrait of friendship, male bonding in particular, leaving the two leads to create a human warmth between these two appealing characters.

Kelly Reichardt is a master of indie film-making, but this is perhaps her most accessible and story-driven film. There are a number of parallels to her other films here, including an intimate focus, the Oregon setting, and a languid pace. Reichardt co-wrote the script with Jon Raymond, adapted from his novel “Half-Life.” The William Blake quote (which also opens the novel) brings to mind another quirky indie Western, Jim Jarmusch’s DEAD MAN (and in fact Gary Farmer has a small role in this film) but mostly there are numerous overlaps with Reichardt’s other films, such as CERTAIN WOMEN, WENDY AND LUCY, and the Western MEEKS CUTOFF.

The tale of friendship and life struggle strikes a special, deep chord. The film opens in the present, with a woman (Alia Shawkat) and her dog wandering across a partly wooded landscape, until the dog finds something: two human skeletons shallowly buried side-by-side. The film then shifts to the past, leaving us puzzled, although the meaning is made clear at the end of the film.

In the wild frontier of 1820s Oregon Territory, a man called Cookie Figowitz (John Magaro) is working for a rough crew of fur-trappers. The meat-hungry trappers are less impressed by Cookie’s considerable skills as a cook and baker than angry about his less-impressive skills as a hunter. A quiet, gentle soul, Cookie is happiest foraging alone in the forest for mushrooms and berries in the forest, where one day he comes across a naked man hiding under a bush. The naked man tells him he is being pursued but a group of Russians, and kind-hearted Cookie takes him in, feeding him and giving him shelter. It turns out that the man is not Native American as Cookie first assumed but a multi-lingual, well-educated Chinese immigrant adventurer named King-Lu (Orion Lee), seeking his fortune in the new territory. The two part ways but a a friendship is already taking root.

When the two meet again at the frontier trading post, their situation is reversed, and it is Cookie who is in dire straits after the fur-trappers fired him. It is King-Lu’s turn to offer Cookie food and shelter, in the form of an abandoned shack King-Lu is living in outside town. Spending time together, the friendship kindles and they share their stories and their dreams. Talkative King-Lu is ambitious, dreaming of striking it rich, while mild-mannered Cookie’s dreams are more modest, mostly a bakery where he can practice the trade he loves. King-Lu also has a bit of larceny in him, so when he learns about Cookie’s skill with baking, he hatches a plan to make money with that talent. All they need do is steal milk from that precious cow.

This is no small task as the cow is the closely-guarded prized possession of the town’s wealthy ruling power, a harsh man known as Chief Factor (Toby Jones), but they come up with a plan. Soon they are selling what they call “oily cakes,” a donut-like fritter that Cookie makes with the pilfered milk, served with a little wild honey. The treats are a huge hit, selling out daily and pressing the friends to make more.

When a dignitary known as the Captain (Scott Shepard) plans to visit, Chief Factor is desperate to impress him with his taste and sophistication, and instructs the baker to create a particularly delicate pastry as a show piece, putting the friends uncomfortably close to his scrutiny.

Yes, there is a comic element to this scheme but there is an ominous feeling as well as we also know this can’t last. However, mostly this is a quiet, thoughtful drama about personal individual struggles as well as a portrait of male friendship. and a study of the rhythms of daily life in this frontier town. Like other Reichert’s films, it has a languid pace, an intimate personal focus, and invites leaning-in, rather than the wide-open spaces and myth making of the typical Western.

The visual aspect is striking, with scenes tightly framed and a focus on small details, often of the natural world around them, rather than the usual grand vistas of Westerns. The images are often quite beautiful, skillfully shot by cinematographer Christopher Blauvelt.

The key to the film is the friendship at its heart. There is enormous charm in both of the characters and feeling of authenticity and human warmth in their unlikely friendship. As they spend time together, they share bits of their personal history, although Cookie is more forthcoming than King-Lu. Cookie was orphaned when his father died, after a life traveling around, but found a sense of home with the baker to whom he was apprenticed. We learn less about brainy, resourceful King-Lu, mostly that he ran away from home when he was young, but there are intriguing hints, like his obvious education. Yet there is his telling comment when he hears about the milk cow’s pedigree, that she has an even more illustrious family history than his own.

Both friends see the danger in what they are doing but deciding when to get out is hard – the temptation of “one more time” is powerful. King-Lu pushes to keep going a little longer, despite Cookie’s fears. King-Lu is burn with ambition, seeing great possibility in the wide-open new world and dreaming of setting himself up in San Francisco to pursue great wealth. The more cautious Cookie just wants a comfortable home, a life where he can practice his love of baking, and he sees the risk more clearly. The dynamic of their differing personalities and the bond of friendship that ties them keeps us involved.

The acting is superb, with Lee and Magaro working brilliantly together and crafting wonderful, memorable, layered characters. In fact the film is filled with remarkable, often odd and other fine performances here too. Toby Jones is powerful as Chief Factor, a brutal man who both egotisitcal and insecure. He resents being on the frontier, wrapping himself in what luxuries he can and acting like a feudal lord of a manor. He treats others callously and disdains the struggling residents of the town he rules. Rene Auberjonois, in his last role, plays the unsmiling, hawk-eyed unnamed man with a crow, charged with guarding the precious cow. Gary Farmer plays a local Native American leader whose wife, played by Sabrina Mary Morrison, serves as his translator. Her translation is sometimes comic but the characters serve to draw attention to the increasing marginalization of the Native peoples and other references to racism at the outpost. Reichert incorporates these details but never comments on them pointedly.

FIRST COW is an affecting, thoughtful bittersweet tale that warm us with its contemplative portrait of friendship while it chills us with its economic brutality. It is hard to describe but it has a hauntingly wonder to it that lingers, as does the haunting memory of its remarkable characters and their timeless human bond. FIRST COW is available on demand on various platforms starting July 10.

RATING: 4 out of 4 stars

Watch the New Trailer for Kelly Reichardt’s FIRST COW

Watch the new trailer for festival breakout
FIRST COW, from acclaimed filmmaker Kelly Reichardt:

A captivating portrait of friendship set against the early American west, Reichardt has crafted a moving and critically acclaimed vision of the origins of the American Dream. Starring John Magaro, Orion Lee, and Toby Jones. 

Kelly Reichardt once again trains her perceptive and patient eye on the Pacific Northwest, this time evoking an authentically hardscrabble early nineteenth century way of life. A taciturn loner and skilled cook (John Magaro) has traveled west and joined a group of fur trappers in Oregon Territory, though he only finds true connection with a Chinese immigrant (Orion Lee) also seeking his fortune; soon the two collaborate on a successful business, although its longevity is reliant upon the clandestine participation of a nearby wealthy landowner’s prized milking cow. From this simple premise Reichardt constructs an interrogation of foundational Americana that recalls her earlier triumph Old Joy in its sensitive depiction of male friendship, yet is driven by a mounting suspense all its own. Reichardt again shows her distinct talent for depicting the peculiar rhythms of daily living and ability to capture the immense, unsettling quietude of rural America. FIRST COW stars John Magaro, Orion Lee, Toby Jones, and Ewen Bremner

CERTAIN WOMEN – Review

certain-women

Kelly Reichardt tells American stories. They are specific to the fabric of this country and to the struggles that have been endured by the people who have weaved it together. Just judging her filmography on the surface, the films are simple. They don’t involve major events, and Reichardt presents them without many flourishes. However, there’s something profound in how she captures her characters. She’s interested in their humanity, often expressed through their emotive faces. In a Kelly Reichardt film, a woman can simply look off camera and her face can express her past and present predicaments. Although it may be a simple shot, there is nothing simple about the feelings being explored. 

These internal struggles are at the center of three stories in CERTAIN WOMEN. Each woman in the film is battling to be recognized in a world where their voices can barely be heard. They are stories that don’t begin or end with a big reveal; they don’t aspire to transcend the moment they exist in. Any yet, when set against the rural picturesque landscapes, Reichardt continues the filmic tradition of shining a light on the loneliness of middle America.

A lawyer (Laura Dern) struggles with balancing her personal life and an overdemanding  client (Jared Harris) who may be teetering on a mental breakdown. Meanwhile, a wife and mother (Michelle Williams) is thinking about her company and potential dream home while struggling to be respected. Finally, a young law student (Kristin Stewart) apprehensively agrees to teach a class on law, miles from her home and forms a bond with a lonely ranch hand (Lily Gladstone).

Michelle Williams – the muse equivalent of Leonardo DiCaprio and Martin Scorsese – collaborates with Reichardt for a third time. Her unspoken moments speak volumes, like many of the, characters in the film. Williams has perfectly mastered the look of confliction. She plays a woman who has both accepted her role in this male-dominated world, and yet, still has moments of wavering doubt while exposing her fragility. Who is a standout and relatively new to the big screen is Lily Gladstone. Opposite Kirsten Stewart, Gladstone shows a restrained anticipation that is hard to convey. She handles the task with skill that’s worthy of note. When she looks at Kristen Stewart, her soul is split open for all to witness.

Amid the wide open grassy fields, snowy peaks, and small town streets, there are questions. Kelly Reichardt adapts Maile Meloy’s stories with a  delicate hand and isn’t afraid to leave stories with an ellipsis. There are more to these stories of four ordinary women. Although lacking in significance or grandeur, CERTAIN WOMEN encapsulates everyday problems in a way that hasn’t been felt since the films of John Cassavetes.

Overall rating: 4 out of 5

CERTAIN WOMEN is now playing in limited release and opens at the Landmark Plaza Frontenac Cinema on October 28

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Win Passes To The Advance Screening Of CERTAIN WOMEN In St. Louis

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One of America’s foremost filmmakers, Kelly Reichardt (Wendy and Lucy, Meek’s Cutoff) directs a remarkable ensemble cast led by Michelle Williams, Kristen Stewart, and Laura Dern in this stirring look at three women striving to forge their own paths amidst the wide-open plains of the American Northwest: a lawyer (Dern) who finds herself contending with both office sexism and a hostage situation; a wife and mother (Williams) whose determination to build her dream home puts her at odds with the men in her life; and a young law student (Stewart) who forms an ambiguous bond with a lonely ranch hand (radiant newcomer Lily Gladstone). As their stories intersect in subtle but powerful ways, a portrait emerges of flawed, but strong-willed individuals in the process of defining themselves.

CERTAIN WOMEN opens in St. Louis on October 28th at Plaza Frontenac.

WAMG invites you to enter for the chance to win TWO (2) seats to the advance screening of CERTAIN WOMEN on OCTOBER 26 at 7PM in the St. Louis area.

Answer the Following:

Michelle Williams, Kristen Stewart, and Laura Dern – which actresses have received Academy Award nominations?

TO ENTER, ADD YOUR NAME, ANSWER AND EMAIL IN OUR COMMENTS SECTION BELOW.

OFFICIAL RULES:

1. YOU MUST BE IN THE ST. LOUIS AREA THE DAY OF THE SCREENING.

2. No purchase necessary. A pass does not guarantee a seat at a screening. Seating is on a first-come, first served basis. The theater is overbooked to assure a full house. The theater is not responsible for overbooking.

Visit the official site:: http://www.ifcfilms.com/films/certain-women

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Cinedigm Acquires Kelly Reichardt’s NIGHT MOVES Starring Jesse Eisenberg, Dakota Fanning and Peter Sarsgaard

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Cinedigm has acquired all North American rights to NIGHT MOVES, directed by acclaimed American independent filmmaker Kelly Reichardt.

The film, starring Jesse Eisenberg, Dakota Fanning and Peter Sarsgaard, made its world premiere at the Venice International Film Festival earlier this month followed by a North American debut at the Toronto International Film Festival and was recently awarded the Grand Prize at the Deauville Film Festival.

Reichardt’s award-winning films include RIVER OF GRASS, OLD JOY, WENDY AND LUCY and the acclaimed Michelle Williams-starring Western MEEK’S CUTOFF.

NIGHT MOVES is her fifth feature film and tells the story of three radical environmentalists plotting the explosion of a hydroelectric dam—the symbol of the energy-sucking, resource-devouring industrial culture they despise. The suspense-filled film adds a “noir-thriller” to Reichardt’s already impressive and diverse body of work.

Cinedigm will release the film in Spring of 2014.

“Kelly is one of the most original and distinctive voices in American cinema today. An expansion on her previous work, NIGHT MOVES maintains that unique Kelly stamp that long ago made us huge fans,” said Vincent Scordino, Senior Vice President of Theatrical Releasing, for Cinedigm.

“We couldn’t be happier to be working with Cinedigm,” said the filmmakers. “Their enthusiasm for the film was amazing, and we’re thrilled to be collaborating with them on its release.”

The film is a production of Maybach Film Productions, RT Features and filmscience. It was produced by Neil Kopp, Anish Savjani, Chris Maybach, Saemi Kim and Rodrigo Teixeira. The deal was negotiated by Cinedigm’s Director of Acquisitions Emily Rothschild with UTA representing the filmmakers.

TWITTER: @NightMovesFilm
FACEBOOK: https://www.facebook.com/NightMovesFilm

MEEK’S CUTOFF – The Review

A staple of many classic western movies is the wagon train. Each wagon’s full of eager settlers about to begin a new life. There was even a TV show called “Wagon Train”. Most times these folks would arrive at their new home on the prairie and put sown stakes. But what happens when they don’t make it to their promised land? The most extreme case maybe the story of the Donner party. Things don’t quite get that desperate in Kelly Reichardt’s new film MEEK’S CUTOFF. but the new West isn’t the utopia depicted in many classic film portrayals. Here, the roughest part of the journey may be the conflicts within this small group.

The first images we see are the three wagons being pulled by their animals while the men and women ( and one young boy) trudge alongside over the barren landscape. Eventually we meet the travelers: newlyweds Thomas and Millie Gately ( Paul Dano and Zoe Kazan ), the White family-Thomas ( Neal Huff ), Glory ( Shirley Henderson ) and their pre-teen son Jimmy ( Tommy Nelson ), and Soloman Tetherow ( Will Patton ) and his much younger second wife Emily ( Michelle Williams ). They are being lead by a scout, Stephen Meek ( Bruce Greenwood ). Although the blustery Meek insists that they are going in the right direction, most of the group believes that they are hopelessly lost and are quickly running out of food and water. The women pressure their husbands to confront Meek, but they cannot bring themselves to it. Tensions mount as they trudge on. One day while gathering firewood, Emily encounters an Indian brave ( Ron Rondeaux ). She alerts the others and soon her husband and Meek ride ahead to capture him before he can contact his tribe. Eventually they return with the battered brave, Meek regales them with tales of his Indian battles and insists that they kill their prisoner. Emily steps forward to spare him, believing that the Indian will lead them to fresh water. Will he bring them to their new home or lead them into a trap?

Reichardt gives this old West tale a somber, quiet almost documentary feel. The desperation and weariness of these settlers seeps off the screen. The actors playing them give great understated performances with Williams standing out as the gutsy Emily. Her best scenes may be the ones opposite the bombastic, egotistical Meek played with gusto ( and an impressive overflowing beard ) by Bruce Greenwood. Like the travelers, we don’t know what his motives are. Reichardt generates a lot of tension in the encounters with the Indian and later in a harrowing scene where the wagons are guided down a steep hill using a crude pulley. Unfortunately the director may be too successful in showing the tedium and drudgery of life in transit over this desolate land. The ending may frustrate you, but you’ll go away with a greater respect for the pioneers you first saw in those old John Ford epics.

Overall rating: 3 out of 5 stars

Michelle Williams & Kelly Reichardt on ‘Wendy and Lucy’

When it comes to working in Hollywood, people say that it’s all about whom you know, even if you’re an established talent like Michelle Williams. It’s how she came to be a part of Kelly Reichardt’s ‘Wendy and Lucy’.

“It came through a mutual friend of ours, Todd Haynes, who I had worked with and had a really good experience being directed by,† Williams recalls. “It first came to me in short story form with a little letter saying, ‘This is a dear friend. Think you guys would get along.’†

“I’m a reader,† Williams explains, “I like to read books and it really captured – there was so many things in it, so many qualities in the writing, the descriptive language. It was a really natural decision†¦ I just called my agent one day and said I’m going to Portland. I’ll be there for the month of August.†

This timely look at the pressures of a failing economy is imbued with classic cinà ©ma và ©rità ©, so it’s no surprise to hear director Kelly Reichardt’s influences are founded in classic cinema.

“A lot of the Italian neo-realism, it seemed like a really good time to go back and revisit. There’s also some new German cinema, like some Fassbinder, that I went back to. All those themes – the social issues – seemed really relevant for the moment. The kids in the beginning of the film†¦ who really live off the grid all over America†¦ They have a community amongst themselves. It’s a total throwback, even aesthetically, seeing these kids†¦ it’s so Depression era.”

Wendy and Lucy is a powerful film, bolstered by William’s moving performance and deftly guided by Reichardt’s direction, something worth seeing during hard times.

Wendy and Lucy is in limited release starting Dec. 10 in New York and Dec. 12 in L.A.

Visit the website to see when it plays at a theater near you:

http://www.wendyandlucy.com/n_theaters.html