In theaters October 14, 2016.

From IFC Films: One of America’s foremost filmmakers, Kelly Reichardt (Wendy and Lucy, Meek’s Cutoff) directs a remarkable ensemble cast led by Michelle Williams, Kristen Stewart, and Laura Dern in this stirring look at three women striving to forge their own paths amidst the wide-open plains of the American Northwest: a lawyer (Dern) who finds herself contending with both office sexism and a hostage situation; a wife and mother (Williams) whose determination to build her dream home puts her at odds with the men in her life; and a young law student (Stewart) who forms an ambiguous bond with a lonely ranch hand (radiant newcomer Lily Gladstone). As their stories intersect in subtle but powerful ways, a portrait emerges of flawed, but strong-willed individuals in the process of defining themselves.

Starring Kristen Stewart, Michelle Williams, Laura Dern, Lily Gladstone, and Jared Harris

Directed by Kelly Reichardt
Screenplay by Kelly Reichardt (adapted from short stories by Maile Maloy)
Produced by Neil Kopp, Vincent Savino, and Anish Savjani

Runtime: 107 minutes
Rated R

This transcript has been lightly edited:

The Referee: Listeners, we just — not too long ago — caught a Sneak Peek of “Certain Women” at the New York Film Festival. It is directed by Kelly Reichardt. She also wrote it, but it’s based on Maile Meloy’s short stories. And, it’s starring some very familiar faces: Kristen Stewart, Michelle Williams, Laura Dern, Jared Harris, among others. And, quite frankly, it is a peculiar piece that the Critic and I are going to explore and walk through. And, ultimately, we’re going to give a recommendation for specific people. Let’s rock and roll.

The Critic: (laughs) I have a feeling this is going to be really quick —

Ref: Oh, here we go.

Critic: There are three stories, essentially, spearheaded by Laura Dern, Michelle Williams, and Kristen Stewart. The title is “Certain Women”: It’s about certain women. Those stories are loosely connected. Laura Dern plays a lawyer who has a client — that’s Jared Harris — who can’t listen to her for some reason. He just can’t get it. Eventually, he does — or does he? Because, there is this big tragedy that happens, that lands him in jail — I’ll just tell you — or prison —

Ref: Mm-hm.

Critic: — and that’s it. Next, we have Michelle Williams. She plays a woman who runs her own business, and her husband is her employee.

Ref: Yeah, I mean, he’s a business partner, but she’s calling the shots.

Critic: That’s right, and they do have a daughter. He is building her dream home. So, she wants this sandstone to put into the home. They know the guy who has this plot or just a bunch of sandstone, and that’s Rene Auberjonois.

Ref: Hello.

Critic: He plays that character. So, they have to go to him to get it. And, then, the question is: Is that going to affect her relationship with her husband — that dynamic? She is so focused on getting things right, doing things the way she wants them to be done.

Ref: Yup. And, she’s also not having a good relationship with her daughter. So, that’s a stress, as well.

Critic: She’s [the daughter is] a daddy’s girl. Now, the third story, with Kristen Stewart: Kristen Stewart plays a young lawyer —

Ref: New lawyer.

Critic: New — who took a job teaching school law —

Ref: Yes. Mm-hm.

Critic: So, she took this job, because she didn’t think she would get a job —

Ref: Public school law. Mm-hm.

Critic: There you go. So, she’s teaching in — it’s almost like a community college. She’s teaching teachers. But, this job — where it’s located — it takes her four hours to get there. OK? And, she has a job as a lawyer. She didn’t expect to get that job as a lawyer, but she did. So, that’s a struggle. Now, one of the students in the class — and that’s really the focus: She works on a farm; she’s alone; she just goes out driving one night and ends up in this class. [She] didn’t even sign up for it: just ends up in the room and is taken by Kristen Stewart. So, we see what happens — when Kristen Stewart can no longer be the teacher — what happens to this woman who essentially is attracted to her — not saying sexually. But, there’s something about it —

Ref: Mm-hm.

Critic: — something about Kristen Stewart that draws her. You’ll have to watch the movie to figure that out. And, then, at the end, after we see the introductions and the explorations of these stories, we get codas. 

Ref: Yeah, that’s the gist of the movie. Really, it is. Now, let’s talk about the performances. There’s not a lot written — that you can account — for it to be riveting.

Critic: Yeah.

Ref: It’s not something that is plot-driven. And, people will say that it’s character-driven, but the way that it’s filmed: There’s a lot of silent downtime. Like, literally, just watching someone drive or watching someone feed their horses or watching someone kind of —

Critic: Get dressed.

Ref: — get dressed or look around at the beautiful Montana view. You know, there’s a lot of silence that happens in the movie. But, the actors: Once the words are in their mouths, they really do a fine job with what they’re given.

Critic: Yeah.

Ref: Laura Dern: She’s wonderful at making a character very contemporary. The words are never foreign in her mouth. She really knows how to own those words, and you see it here. Michelle Williams plays the driven woman, and she does that eloquently. She really does her job there. Kristen Stewart, who I can’t say that I’m just blown away by all of her performances, but this one was very much straightforward. She did a wonderful job. And the young woman — I don’t know who she is —

Critic: Yeah, Lily Gladstone is the actress —

Ref: Lily Gladstone: She, as well, does what she can with what she’s given. Now, that’s the performances. You don’t get much after that.

Critic: Look, this is certainly for people who love to go to film festivals, who love to go to art houses, who love (elongating and singing) slow burns. OK? Almost a meditative state, you would go into.

Ref: Yeah.

Critic: If that doesn’t sound like this is for you, do not watch it.

Ref: Yeah, you don’t need to. And, especially if you see it at an art house and especially all the buzz that’s around it, we do have to caution our listeners — and we know our listeners — that, if you do pay that $15, if you do go to that art house, we are telling you: Expect the slow burn!

Critic: Yeah.

Ref: (elongating) Slow burn!

Critic: Yes. Just know, this is something you’d watch if you were taking a film studies class.

Ref: Yeah, there it is. It does come out October 14. You can catch it somewhere near you. If you’re really burning to watch it, I would suggest you do that at home so that you can be in your comfort to watch it. Other than that, there are other things that you could see. But, congratulations to the women who were starring in it for doing a fine job with what they’re given.