Certain Women premiered at this year’s Sundance Film Festival to a widely praised critical reception. Directed and adapted by Kelly Reichardt from the short stories of Maile Meloy, the film follows the separate stories of three different women in the American Northwest. Laura Wells, played by Laura Dern (Wild), is a lawyer caught in between office sexism and a hostage situation; Gina Lewis, played by Michelle Williams (Blue Valentine), is a new homeowner, wife, and mother who comes face to face with marital strife; Beth Travis, played by Kristen Stewart (Cafe Society), is a tired law student who forms an unlikely bond with a lonely ranch hand, played by newcomer Lily Gladstone.
Reichardt has recently began to climb the indie drama ranks. She previously directed Williams in two other films – first in 1845 period drama Meek’s Cutoff and second in the quiet small-town film Wendy and Lucy about a young homeless woman and her dog. Reichardt is also known for Night Moves starring Jesse Eisenberg (The Social Network) and Dakota Fanning (Now is Good).
According to early reviews, Reichardt’s adaptation beautifully implements the vast scenes of the Montana landscape to root her gender and geographical discussion in aesthetic introspection. See some of those visuals below in the exclusive photos released by The Film Stage and Indiewire. IFC Films will release Certain Women in theaters on October 14.