Rating summary

Movie		3.5
Video		4.0
Audio		5.0
Extras		4.0
Overall		3.5

Certain Women Blu-ray Movie Review

Reviewed by Dr. Svet Atanasov September 3, 2017

Winner of Best Film Award at the London Film Festival, Kelly Reichardt's "Certain Women" (2016) arrives on Blu-ray courtesy of Criterion. The supplemental features on the disc include an original trailer for the film; new video interview with Kelly Reichardt; new video interview with filmmaker and executive producer Todd Haynes; and new video interview with writer Maile Meloy. The release also arrives with an illustrated leaflet featuring Elia Taylor's essay "Trapped Under the Big Sky" and technical credits. In English, with optional English SDH subtitles for the main feature. Region-A "locked".

A different place

There is no one else in contemporary American cinema quite like Kelly Reichardt. She is a genuine auteur with a very unique style that is instantly recognizable. Since 1994 Reichardt has directed seven feature films, but her latest, Certain Women, is the first to enter the Criterion Collection.

The main protagonists are three young women who live in small towns in the state of Montana. Two have been there for years, while one is a recent transplant from California who is trying to settle down with her family. What unites these women is the feeling that they have missed that one crucial opportunity to point their lives in the right direction, which is why they are constantly trying to suppress a great deal of painful frustration. The film is formally divided into three acts and each reveals precisely how they do it.

Laura (Laura Dern) has been trying to stay busy with her legal work so that she does not have to feel lonely, but it hasn’t been easy and she has started an affair with a married man (James Le Gros). The secret trips to a local hotel, however, have further exacerbated her frustration and made it virtually impossible to silence the voice in her head that has been screaming that she is growing old alone. A seriously aggravated client (Jarred Harris) that she has been representing for years temporarily helps her snap out of her misery after he loses a workers’ compensation case and then takes hostage a guard in an administrative building. Around the same time, Gina (Michelle Williams) and her husband (Gros) begin talking to an elderly man (Rene Auberjonois) who is unsure if he wants to part ways with a large pile of sandstone that they wish to purchase from him for their new home. Eventually they convince him to sell it, but suddenly discover that they are in a dead-end relationship and have no idea if they have enough courage and stamina to try to rebuild it. In a different part of the state, a lonely rancher (Lily Gladstone) accidentally befriends a recent law school graduate (Kristen Stewart) from out of town who has been asked to teach a night course on school law. Even though the rancher isn’t registered to take the course she begins attending the lectures so that she can spend time with her friend, but the reactions from the other side soon make her realize that she has wildly misinterpreted their relationship.

The original material for the film comes from a collection of short stories written by Maile Meloy, but the tone and atmosphere that give it its structure and identity are undoubtedly representative of Reichardt’s signature style. The only somewhat awkward aspect of this film is that it actually seems perfectly at home in Montana. (With the exception of her directorial debut, River of Grass, Reichardt has shot all of her other films across Oregon).

The final segment with the rancher is the most effective one. There is something very organic in the manner in which Reichardt links the rancher’s loneliness to the spirit of the place where she lives and one instantly begins to feel that at least in this particular area of Montana life definitely has a different rhythm.

The big question that the film seriously contemplates, however, is whether the state also has an overpowering personality that can create odd imbalances in the ways people that live there connect, communicate, and even manage their emotions. So as each character is placed in a different setting, the plot essentially becomes an unorthodox examination of such a possibility. (Some of Gus Van Sant’s early films actually do something very similar, though they typically cover larger areas).

The film will almost certainly resonate well with folks who are fond of Reichardt’s previous work because they will find its visual style to be very familiar. However, newcomers who are just now discovering Reichardt will probably have a difficult time warming up to its moodiness.

Certain Women Blu-ray Movie, Video Quality 

Presented in its original aspect ratio of 1.85:1, encoded with MPEG-4 AVC and granted a 1080p transfer, Kelly Reichardt's Certain Women arrives on Blu-ray courtesy of Criterion.

The following text appears inside the leaflet that is provided with this Blu-ray release:

"This new digital transfer was created in 2K resolution on a Lasergraphics ScanStation film scanner from the 16mm original camera negative. The film features a fully digital soundtrack. The 5.1 surround audio for this release was mastered from the original digital audio master files using Pro Tools HD.

Transfer supervisors: Kelly Reichardt, Christopher Blauvelt.
Colorist: Tyler Fagerstrom/Cinelicious, Los Angeles."

The 2K master is outstanding. The outdoor footage has that consistent fluidity and pronounced organic density that contemporary 16mm film is known to produce. Despite some native fluctuations, depth and clarity also remain very pleasing. In fact, even the very noticeable shifts in tonality where the manner in which light is captured by the camera produces some sporadic unevenness look very natural. The primary colors are quite subdued, but there is an excellent range of delicate nuances that successfully expand the color palette (see screencaptures #1, 4 and 5). There are no traces of problematic degraining or sharpening adjustments. However, some of the indoor footage could have benefited from minor optimizations; also, towards the end, right after Lily Gladstone's rancher falls asleep behind the wheel, I noticed some light but unusual flicker. Overall image stability is excellent. My score if 4.25/5.00. (Note: This is a Region-A "locked" Blu-ray release. Therefore, you must have a native Region-A or Region-Free player in order to access its content).

Certain Women Blu-ray Movie, Audio Quality 

There is only one standard audio track on this Blu-ray release: English DTS-HD Master Audio 5.1. Optional English SDH subtitles are provided for the main feature.

The original soundtrack incorporates a wide range of organic sounds and noises that are crucial for the intended atmosphere. So separation and nuances are actually a lot more important than the occasional spikes in dynamic activity. The dialog is always clean, stable, and easy to follow. Obviously, since the film utilizes a fully digital soundtrack with the lossless track you are essentially getting a perfect replica of it. There are no purely transfer-specific anomalies to report.

Certain Women Blu-ray Movie, Special Features and Extras 

• Trailer - original trailer for Certain Women. In English, not subtitled. (2 min, 1080p).

• Kelly Reichardt - in this new video interview, Kelly Reichardt discusses her initial impressions of Maile Meloy's stories, her decision to leave Oregon and shoot Certain Women in Montana, the unique identity of "The Windiest Place in the Country"/Livingston, MO; the organic sounds and noises that are so crucial for the film's soundtrack, her decision to shoot in 16mm, etc. The interview was conducted exclusively for Criterion in 2017. In English, not subtitled. (15 min, 1080p).

• Tod Haynes - in this new video interview, filmmaker and executive producer Todd Haynes (Safe) discusses his friendship and professional relationship with Kelly Reichardt as well as the unique qualities of her cinematic style. The interview was conducted exclusively for Criterion in 2017. In English, not subtitled. (15 min, 1080p).

• Maile Meloy - the original material for Certain Women comes from a collection of short stories written by Maile Meloy. In this new video interview, the writer explains how she was approached by Kelly Reichardt, and discusses her work and Certain Women. The interview was conducted exclusively for Criterion in 2017. In English, not subtitled. (14 min, 1080p).

• Leaflet - an illustrated leaflet featuring Elia Taylor's essay "Trapped Under the Big Sky" and technical credits.

Certain Women Blu-ray Movie, Overall Score and Recommendation 

I liked Kelly Reichardt's new film quite a lot, but I felt that it did not engage me as well as Wendy and Lucy and Meek's Cutoff did. To be honest, I wanted the entire film go in a slightly different direction and be like the final segment with the rancher, more subdued and looking to capture even more of the atmosphere of the small towns in Montana. Criterion's upcoming Blu-ray release is sourced from a solid 2K master but I think that the technical presentation could have been slightly better. RECOMMENDED.