Certain Women

Certain Women follows three women living in small-town Montana whose separate stories unfold against the wide-open landscape of the American Northwest. Laura, a lawyer, grows frustrated as she tries to talk a desperate client out of pursuing a case she believes cannot succeed. Gina, a wife and mother, begins building a house in the woods with her husband Ryan, a project that strains their marriage and brings them into conflict with an elderly neighbor. Jamie, a lonely ranch hand, drifts into an ambiguous bond with Beth, a young lawyer who teaches night classes in a nearby town. The film is based on short stories by Maile Meloy.

Kelly Reichardt directed and wrote the screenplay, working with producers Neil Kopp, Anish Savjani and Vincent Savino. It was her fourth feature, arriving between Night Moves and First Cow. Laura Dern, Kristen Stewart, Michelle Williams, Lily Gladstone, James Le Gros and Jared Harris lead a cast of twenty-one credited performers.

Made for around two million dollars and released in September 2016, the film earned roughly one million at the worldwide box office, a modest return on an independent production. On IMDb it holds 6.4 out of 10 from nearly fifteen thousand votes, and on TMDB 6 out of 10 from a few hundred. A critics' rating of 7.8 out of 10 from 196 reviews places it well above those audience scores.