Our Favorites
& How to Watch Them:
Kelly Reichardt
Art by Debbie Carlos (@DebbieCarlos)
Letter by Laura Kittrell (@LauraKittrell)
River of Grass (1995): Reichardt herself called this “a road movie without the road, a love story without the love, and a crime story without the crime.” There’s really no way I’m going to top that summary, so.
Old Joy (2006): A buddy film for misanthropes. Or more specifically: a film about buddies on the slow march to becoming former buddies.
Wendy and Lucy (2008): A movie about a woman and her dog. Not nearly as cute as it sounds. Unless the general idea of poverty and the recession are cute to you, in which case I guess it’s exactly as cute as it sounds.
Meek’s Cutoff (2010): The ultimate men-not-asking-for-directions story, in which Stephen Meek went and screwed over a bunch of settlers by getting them very, very lost on the Oregon Trail.
Night Moves (2014): Three eco-terrorists conspire to bomb a dam. Remember this is Kelly Reichardt, so think more character study, less Nakatomi Plaza.
Certain Women (2016): A triptych about several lonely women in Montana. You may think you’ve seen a melancholic movie before, but don’t talk to me until you’ve seen this one.
Kelly Reichardt
Dear Kelly Reichardt,
Can we talk about how you're the best director working in American independent film right now? Because if for some reason that was still up for debate, once Certain Women came out last year, that should've been the final word on the matter. One of that film's stars -- and your frequent collaborator -- Michelle Williams called your work "38 things buried under the semblance of nothing", and who am I to argue with Michelle Williams? Whether it's coming from the eco-terrorists in Night Moves or the band of settlers in your feminist western Meek's Cutoff, nobody does silence better than you. Your movies are all gestures and subtlety. They're small movies about universal subjects -- friendship, class, love, poverty, isolation, loneliness, and a subject I find the most universal of all: being a female ranch hand pining for Kristen Stewart. And between the corgi in Certain Women and your own beloved Lucy in both Old Joy and Wendy and Lucy, you are one of the all time greatest directors of dogs. Also, is there a way to comment on your appearance without coming off as sexist? Because if there is, I’d like to mention that your sweater game is basically unparalleled. So like I said: the best.