Showing Up
In this subtle drama, Kelly Reichardt (First Cow, Certain Women) follows the daily worries and family troubles of a sculptress portrayed by Michelle Williams.
In her fourth collaboration with Kelly Reichardt, Michelle Williams plays Lizzy, a stretched-out sculptor desperately trying to get ready for an upcoming show. She juggles her craft with the demands of her arts administration job, her disordered family and Jo, her frustrating neighbour and landlady, a fellow artist who is much more successful – it seems – as her works hang in two places in the city.
Reichardt's multi-layered portrait of a creative just trying to create is beautifully shot on 16mm, features stunning ceramic sculptures by Cynthia Lahti and is brimming with well-observed truths about artistic practice and community. And the director knows what she is talking about, because – besides making films – she taught art at an academy.