Indie film Certain Women (in UK cinemas 3rd March) takes a long but simple look at certain female characters and their 'ordinary' tales in a star-studded affair featuring Laura Dern, Kristen Stewart, Michelle Williams, and scene-stealer Lily Gladstone. 

Not to be confused with Twentieth Century Women, also in cinemas right now, Certain Women is written and directed by Kelly Reichardt based on a series of short stories by Maile Meloy. It premiered at Sundance Festival and has been quietly amassing fans from all over. The subtle sadness of everyday life is put under the microscope in a softly spoken but impressive film. Set in Montana, we get the vaguely connected lives of a lawyer, a married couple building their home from the ground up, and a ranch hand and her accidental law teacher. Through the long glimpses into the lives of such independent women, we get a film laden with realism and real moments of joy and sadness, painting pictures of lonely lives.

The three separate stories have underlying common threads and some crossover, but it's no Love Actually or Valentine's Day if that's what you're after! A clean-cut film of three chapters/short stories, you have to be patient with a film like this. I have to admit I'm not a role model - it's thoughtful, but I found it harder to keep the same level of attention in the first two chapters. Thankfully, the third chapter is brilliant...more on this later.

On the other hand, subtlety is one of this film's strengths when you're patient. The silences and absences of speech are simple but effective, designed to make you ponder a little more. It's deliberately slow too - unraveling at real time without the usual director's cutting and editing, they want you to feel the motions instead. And you sure do. Don't be surprised if you spend a good few minutes just watching someone drive, or walk, or stare.

Whilst Laura Dern and Michelle Williams excel in their roles, it sometimes feels slightly restrained. The second story relies on minute dynamics and shifts in tone, as her character Gina feels as though her husband and daughter are against her, plus she's not taken seriously during a negotiation for some stone. In a house-building scenario that should be hopeful and free, there are serious undertones of quiet grief and trouble brewing beneath the surface. It's strange seeing such un-urbanised (is that a word?) settings.

And then we come to the third act. Ranch hand Jamie (Lily Gladstone) lives in isolation, bar her horses. She accidentally comes across an evening law class and becomes enamoured with her teacher, looking at her like she's the greatest person alive and even driving halfway across the country (maybe - how big is Montana?!) to see her. The other half in the story is Kristen Stewart, whose on-screen awkwardness fits in perfectly well here. It's Gladstone who completely steals the show though; her childlike innocence is brilliant and she's the only personality that really comes across in the film. She's mesmerising and you can't take your eyes off her, just as the camera doesn't falter from her face. The authenticity of this story is a little heartbreaking, but they definitely save the best for last (I'd nearly forgotten about the other two stories by this point! I was definitely flagging. A bit.).


With Certain Women we get ordinary mixed with the stunning backdrop of Montana. The stories involve isolation...whether emotionally or geographically (like a brand new house, or a ranch overlooking the mountains without a single house in sight). Though so sparse but gorgeous, it exemplifies the loneliness of these lives. I'm left with a beautiful film full of metaphors and hidden meanings left for you to dig deeper. I don't tend to watch indie films too often, but Certain Women has reminded me exactly why I should.

Certain Women is in certain cinemas from Friday 3rd March!