Kelly Reichardt
Kelly Reichardt | |
---|---|
Miami, Florida, U.S. | |
Education | School of the Museum of Fine Arts (MFA) |
Occupation(s) | Film director, screenwriter |
Years active | 1994–present |
Kelly Reichardt (/ˈraɪkɑːrt/; born March 3, 1964)[1] is an American film director and screenwriter.[2] She is known for her minimalist films closely associated with slow cinema,[3][4] many of which deal with working-class characters in small, rural communities.[5][6]
Reichardt made her feature film debut with River of Grass (1994) and subsequently directed a series of films set and filmed in Oregon: the dramas Old Joy (2006) and Wendy and Lucy (2008); the Western Meek's Cutoff (2010); and the thriller Night Moves (2013). In 2016, she wrote and directed the Montana-set drama Certain Women. Since 2019, Reichardt has returned to directing Oregon-set dramas, with First Cow (2019), and Showing Up (2022).
Early life and education
Reichardt was born in 1964 and raised in Miami, Florida. She developed a passion for photography when she was young. Her parents were law enforcement officers who separated when she was young. She earned her MFA at the School of the Museum of Fine Arts in Boston. Reichardt has served as the S. William Senfeld Artist in Residence at Bard College since 2006.[7][8]
Film career
1994–2006: Feature debut and other works
Reichardt's debut film
In 1999, Reichardt completed the short film Ode, based on Herman Raucher's novel Ode to Billy Joe. Next she made two more short films, Then a Year, in 2001, and Travis, which deals with the Iraq War, in 2004.[11] In these two films, critics have noted that she subtly makes clear her displeasure with the Bush administration and its handling of the Iraq War.[10]
Most of Reichardt's films are regarded by critics to be part of the minimalist movement in films,[10] though Reichardt sees a difference between her work and the movement as a whole.[12]
After
2008–2016: Critical acclaim
For her next film,
In 2013, Reichardt's film Night Moves debuted in competition at the 70th Venice International Film Festival. A more intense thriller about a secret plot to blow up a dam, it was considered a shift in tone from her other slower, more melancholic films.
Reichardt's film
In October 2016, Reichardt revealed that on her next film she would collaborate with author
Reichardt's films have received positive reviews from critics, with all of them above 80% on the film reviews aggregator website Rotten Tomatoes, with the highest being River of Grass and First Cow (both 95%). Her films have not been big box-office successes, with Certain Women the most successful at $1.1 million.[22]
Reichardt is an Artist-in-Residence in the Film and Electronic Arts program at Bard College.[23] She has received a 2009 John Simon Guggenheim Memorial Foundation Fellowship[24] and a 2011 United States Artists (USA) Fellowship.[25] She edits her films herself.[10]
2019–present
Reichardt's next film, Showing Up, was set in Portland with Williams in the lead role as a sculptor. It premiered at the 2022 Cannes Film Festival, and was the director's first feature to be included in the main competition for the Palme d'Or.[28] The film was released by A24 in the United States on April 7, 2023.[29]
Style and themes
Reichardt's films have often been called minimalist and realist, with film critic
Reichardt's films often focus on characters on the margins of society, who are not usually represented on screen, or who are seeking a better quality of life and place in the world. She is interested in characters "who don't have a net, who if you sneezed on them, their world would fall apart".
Reichardt's films often contain references to modern times and political events.[36] Of Meek's Cutoff, she said, "Here was the story of this braggart leading a bunch of people into the desert without a plan and becoming completely reliant on the locals who are socially different from him and who he is suspicious of. All of which seemed relevant to the moment"[10] (in reference to the Iraq War and George W. Bush). Reichardt has confirmed that the character Meek was meant to resemble Bush. Wendy and Lucy also reflects the economic hardships that affected millions of Americans (particularly women, whom the film suggests are affected more than men) as a result of the high costs and collateral damage from the war.[10] Reichardt's 2013 film Night Moves has more overt political references. The three protagonists are radical environmentalists,[37] and the film is set in Oregon, a state with many notable instances of environmental protest, particularly against its lumber industry[38] and in defense of the Northern Spotted Owl, an indicator species of the Pacific Northwest.[39]
Critics have noted that Reichardt's films often have ambiguous endings that leave the audience hanging and unsatisfied. Xan Brooks of The Guardian uses the examples of "wonky Kurt, left wandering city streets at the end of Old Joy, hapless Wendy, still looking for Alaska, or Meek's Cutoff's lost pioneers, forever strung between triumph and disaster. These films do not so much resolve as dissolve. They leave us dangling, forced to write their third acts in our heads".[30] Reichardt has said, "Maybe I'm suspicious of absolutes. I mean, yes, there is something satisfying about watching an old film when the music rises up and the words come at you: The End. But it would seem absurd to do that at the end of one of my films. It would just make them feel lopsided, because they're all so short, they cover so little time. We don't know where these people were before. We spent a week with them and then on they went".[30] She has also said that she enjoys films that let the audience find their own way in and come to their own conclusions.[30]
Reichardt's films contain feminist ideas in both style and content, rejecting mainstream commercial filmmaking methods and focusing on gender (most have female lead characters), but she rejects the label "feminist filmmaker". She rejects mainstream methods by using small budgets, filming on location (most of her films are shot in Oregon), and refusing to romanticize her characters and their struggles. Even her films that have male protagonists address gender issues. In Old Joy, which stars two men and was spoken about at festivals as an LGBT film,[40] the theme of male friendship is highlighted and addressed through feminized qualities of sensitivity and vulnerability rarely seen in mainstream Hollywood cinema. In Night Moves, Dakota Fanning's character serves as a strong female counterpoint to Jesse Eisenberg's male protagonist, and the film's environmental storyline reflects eco-feminist values. Reichardt also diverges from the mainstream with her films' avant-garde content. River of Grass segments the narrative into numbered sections, and Certain Women is also divided into episodes. Reichardt's realism and camera angles reject the objectification of bodies and challenge audience expectations by lingering on seemingly insignificant images after characters have left a scene.[32]
Reichardt has frequently collaborated with actress Michelle Williams, saying that she enjoys Williams's confidence and inquisitive nature, and that she can never guess what she's going to do.[41]
Filmography
Film
Year | Title | Director | Writer | Editor | Ref. |
---|---|---|---|---|---|
1994 | River of Grass | Yes | Yes | No | [6] |
2006 | Old Joy | Yes | Yes | Yes | [6] |
2008 | Wendy and Lucy | Yes | Yes | Yes | [6] |
2010 | Meek's Cutoff | Yes | No | Yes | [6] |
2013 | Night Moves | Yes | Yes | Yes | [6] |
2016 | Certain Women | Yes | Yes | Yes | [6] |
2019 | First Cow | Yes | Yes | Yes | [42] |
2022 | Showing Up | Yes | Yes | Yes | [28] |
Short film
Year | Title | Director | Writer | DoP | Ref. |
---|---|---|---|---|---|
1999 | Ode | Yes | Yes | Yes | [43] |
2001 | Then a Year | Yes | No | No | [44] |
2004 | Travis | Yes | No | No | [45] |
Accolades
Bibliography
- James Lattimer, Eva Sangiorgi, ed., Textur #2: Kelly Reichardt. Viennale – Vienna International Film Festival 2020, ISBN 978-3-901770-49 4
- Seymour, Nicole; Fusco, Katherine (2017). Kelly Reichardt (Contemporary Film Directors). University of Illinois Press. ISBN 978-0252083051.
See also
References
- ^ "United States Public Records, 1970-2009," (May 16, 2014), Kelly A. Reichardt, Residence, North Miami, Florida, United States. Retrieved May 9, 2019. (subscription required)
- ^ Hudson, D.W. (September 22, 2008). "NYFF: Wendy and Lucy". GreenCine Daily. Archived from the original on June 25, 2013. Retrieved July 22, 2014.
- ^ Smith, Nigel M (March 1, 2017). "Kelly Reichardt: 'Faster, faster, faster – we all want things faster'". The Guardian.
- ^ 20 Slow Films From This Century That Reward Patience — Taste of Cinema
- Indiewire. Archived from the originalon December 25, 2016.
- ^ a b c d e f g Brown, Sophie (March 14, 2017). "Where to begin with Kelly Reichardt". British Film Institute. Archived from the original on April 6, 2019.
- ^ College, Bard. "Kelly Reichardt". www.bard.edu. Retrieved November 10, 2022.
- ^ Acclaimed Filmmaker, Bard College Faculty Member Kelly Reichardt to Join Jury at Cannes Film Festival - Bard College
- ^ a b 11th annual Spirit Awards ceremony hosted by Samuel L. Jackson - full show (1996) | Film Independent on YouTube
- ^ a b c d e f g "Kelly Reichardt • Great Director profile • Senses of Cinema". sensesofcinema.com. May 21, 2002. Retrieved November 17, 2018.
- ^ Hall 2018, pp. 36, 42.
- ^ ISBN 978-0-252-04124-2.
- ^ Woods, Simon (August 3, 2020). "Kelly Reichardt: An in-depth interview". Seventh Row. seventhrow.com. Retrieved March 19, 2024.
- ^ Hall 2018, pp. 45–47.
- ^ Bradshaw, Peter (September 6, 2010). "Meek's Cutoff and Post Mortem shine at Venice film festival". The Guardian.
- ^ McNary, Dave (February 27, 2015). "Kristen Stewart Joins Kelly Reichardt's Montana Drama". Variety.
- ^ Mike Fleming Jr (April 16, 2015). "Kelly Reichardt's New Film Lands At Sony Pictures Worldwide Acquisitions". Deadline.
- ^ "60th BFI London Film Festival announces 2016 awards winners" (Press release). BFI. October 17, 2016. Retrieved October 18, 2016.
- ^ "With rugged feminist piece 'Certain Women,' Kelly Reichardt shows why she's the last indie purist (for now)". Los Angeles Times. October 21, 2016.
- ^ Tauer, Kristen (October 14, 2016). "'Certain Women' Director Kelly Reichardt Discusses Her Latest Film". Women's Wear Daily.
- ^ Raup, Jordan (October 31, 2018). "Kelly Reichardt Sets 'Certain Women' Follow-Up with 'First Cow'". The Film Stage. Retrieved November 25, 2018.
- ^ "Kelly Reichardt". www.rottentomatoes.com. Retrieved November 17, 2018.
- ^ "Faculty: Kelly Reichardt". Bard College. June 20, 2014. Retrieved July 22, 2014.
- ^ "Kelly Reichardt". John Simon Guggenheim Memorial Foundation. 2014. Archived from the original on July 28, 2014. Retrieved July 22, 2014.
- ^ "United States Artists » Kelly Reichardt". Retrieved February 26, 2023.
- ^ Hammond, Pete (August 29, 2019). "Telluride Film Festival: 'Ford V Ferrari', 'Judy', 'Motherless Brooklyn', Weinstein-Inspired Drama 'The Assistant' Among Premieres Headed To 46th Edition – Full List". Deadline. Retrieved June 9, 2023.
- ^ Kohn, Eric (June 29, 2020). "'First Cow' Will Head to VOD, and Kelly Reichardt Reconsiders Her Film's Resonance — Exclusive". IndieWire. Retrieved June 9, 2023.
- ^ a b c Turnquist (April 17, 2022). "'Showing Up,' filmed in Portland and starring Michelle Williams, to compete in 2022 Cannes Film Festival". oregonlive. Retrieved June 9, 2023.
- ^ Chang, Justin (April 14, 2023). "'Showing Up' is a rare glimpse of an artist at (very hard) work". NPR. Retrieved November 9, 2023.
- ^ a b c d Brooks, Xan (August 21, 2014). "Kelly Reichardt: 'My films are just glimpses of people passing through'". the Guardian. Retrieved November 17, 2018.
- ^ "Director Kelly Reichardt explores idealism in Night Moves". Archived from the original on July 27, 2020. Retrieved November 17, 2018.
- ^ OCLC 1054396795.
- ^ Gregory, Alice (October 14, 2016). "The Quiet Menace of Kelly Reichardt's Feminist Westerns". The New York Times. Retrieved November 17, 2018.
- ^ Kohn, Eric (October 3, 2016). "Kelly Reichardt Is One of the Best Filmmakers in America, and We Don't Appreciate Her Enough — NYFF". IndieWire. Retrieved November 17, 2018.
- ^ Schager, Nick (March 14, 2006). "Review: Old Joy". Slant Magazine. slantmagazine.com. Retrieved March 19, 2024.
- ^ Broken American Dreams: The Films of Kelly Reichardt | The Vice Guide to Film
- ^ "Night Moves (2013)", IMDb, retrieved December 4, 2021
- ISSN 0009-2347.
- ^ "American Lands Alliance - Protecting and Restoring our National Forests - Issues". June 13, 2007. Archived from the original on June 13, 2007. Retrieved December 4, 2021.
- ^ Hall 2018, p. 3.
- ^ "'Certain Women' director on working with Michelle Williams". am New York. Retrieved November 17, 2018.
- Indiewire. Archived from the originalon November 3, 2018.
- ^ Mathieson, Craig (May 31, 2011). "Retrospective: Kelly Reichardt". SBS. Archived from the original on May 9, 2019. Retrieved May 10, 2019.
- ^ Hall 2018, p. 36.
- ^ Hall 2018, p. 42.
- ^ Hall 2018, p. 16.
- ^ "67th Venice Film Festival Collateral Awards". labiennale.org. November 9, 2010. Archived from the original on June 23, 2011.
- ^ Setoodeh, Ramin (November 28, 2016). "'Moonlight' Sweeps the Gotham Awards, Winning Best Film". Variety. Retrieved October 6, 2018.
- ^ "60th BFI London Film Festival announces 2016 awards winners" (Press release). British Film Institute. October 17, 2016. Retrieved October 18, 2016.
- ^ D'Alessandro, Anthony (November 22, 2016). "Spirit Awards Nominations: 'Moonlight', 'American Honey', 'Manchester' & 'Jackie' Rally". Deadline Hollywood. Retrieved November 22, 2016.
- ^ Partridge, Jon (March 12, 2021). "2020 Austin Film Critics Association Award Nominations". Austin Film Critics Association. Archived from the original on March 12, 2021. Retrieved May 19, 2021.
- ^ "The Awards of the 70th Berlin International Film Festival" (PDF). Berlinale. Retrieved March 1, 2020.
- ^ "Film nominees for the 26th annual Critics Choice Awards have been announced". Critics Choice Association. February 8, 2021. Archived from the original on February 8, 2021. Retrieved February 8, 2021.
- ^ "Nominations Announced for 30th IFP Gotham Awards". Independent Filmmaker Project. November 12, 2020. Archived from the original on December 8, 2020. Retrieved December 6, 2020.
- ^ D'Alessandro, Anthony; Blyth, Antonia (February 8, 2020). "Independent Spirit Awards Redresses Female Balance With Wins For Lulu Wang, Olivia Wilde & Julia Reichert – Complete Winners List". Deadline Hollywood. Retrieved February 8, 2020.
- ^ Hipes, Patrick (January 26, 2021). "USC Scripter Awards Nominees Include 'Nomadland', 'One Night In Miami', 'Queen's Gambit', 'Unorthodox'". Deadline. Retrieved January 28, 2021.
- ^ Lewis, Hilary (January 26, 2021). "Film Independent Spirit Awards: 'Never Rarely Sometimes Always', 'Minari', 'Ma Rainey's Black Bottom', 'Nomadland' Top Nominations". The Hollywood Reporter. Retrieved January 26, 2021.
- ^ "'Belfast,' 'Boiling Point' Lead BIFA Nominations". British Independent Film Awards. November 3, 2021. Retrieved November 4, 2021.
- ^ Desroches, Thomas (August 1, 2022). "Locarno 2022 : Brad Pitt et Sophie Marceau en sélection, Matt Dillon honoré par le Festival" [Locarno 2022: Brad Pitt and Sophie Marceau in selection, Matt Dillon honored by the Festival titles]. Allocine (in French). Retrieved August 11, 2022.
- ^ "Spirit Awards 2024 Nominations List: 'Past Lives,' 'May December,' 'American Fiction' Lead with 5 Noms Each". December 5, 2023.
Sources
- Hall, E. Dawn (2018). ReFocus: The Films of Kelly Reichardt. Edinburgh, Scotland: ISBN 978-1-474-41113-4.
External links
- Gregory, Alice (October 14, 2016). "The Quiet Menace of Kelly Reichardt's Feminist Westerns". New York Times.
- Wigon, Zachary (December 12, 2008). "A completely false security: an interview with Kelly Reichardt". MUBI.
- Kelly Reichardt at IMDb
- Rodriguez-Ortega, Vicente (Fall 2006). "An interview with Kelly Reichardt, director of Old Joy". Reverse Shot.
- Fusco, Katherine; Seymour, Nicole (December 2017). "Kelly Reichardt: Emergency and the Everyday".