Animals abound in the work of the gifted indie filmmaker Kelly Reichardt, who resides in Portland.
Wendy and Lucy, made in 2008, centering on the bond between a young woman and her dog, is my favorite Reichard film.
In her latest film, Showing Up, two creatures feature prominently, a bad cat and a wounded pigeon.
In many ways, the relationships of the protagonist, a flinty sculptor named Lizzie, with the above, is just as significant and emotional (perhaps even more) than her interactions (all flawed and troubled) with her landlord and her o father.
Set in Portland, Oregon, the tale describes Lizzie’s preparations for a new gallery show, while contending with her fellow artist landlord, messy family, friends, and her pets.
Like other Reichardt’s films, Showing Up is modestly scaled (a function of budget? intentionally?), and minimalist in narrative, dialogue, and style.
For Lizzie, a dedicated artist, creativity is a way of being, her raison d’etre, though Reichardt avoids questioning the degree of her talent and/or skill. Though she is not young (Michelle Williams is in her early 40s), she still hopes to make it in the big (urban) art world.
The director’s latest collaboration with frequent muse Michelle Williams and Pacific Northwest author Jon Raymond world premiered in competition at the Cannes Film Fest.
This film is marked by humor (if low-key and subtle) that is absent in other Reichardt works.
Set around the now shuttered Oregon College of Art and Craft in Portland, it tracks the frantic preparations of Williams’ flinty sculptor for a solo gallery show as she deals with the headaches of her messy family, her fellow artist landlord (a hilarious Hong Chau) and a wounded pigeon.
The tale feels personal in depicting the challenges of making art in troubled times, amid endless (often unexpected) chaos, both small and big.
It is impossible to imagine Showing Up without the presence of Michelle Williams, who is always riveting to watch albeit different in every Kelly film.
