Michelle Williams performs in the Montana-made film "Certain Women."
Montana-made feature film “Certain Women,” shot in Livingston in March and April 2015, made its world debut at the 2016 Sundance Film Festival and received immediate critical acclaim and praise for the performance of Montana actress Lily Gladstone.
“Certain Women” is the sixth feature from acclaimed filmmaker-director Kelly Reichardt (“Meek’s Cutoff,” “Night Moves,” “Wendy and Lucy”) and produced by Independent Spirit Producer’s Award-winners Neil Kopp and Anish Savjani of film production company Filmscience (“Green Room,” “Blue Ruin”).
Set in Montana, the film is based on short stories from Both Ways is the Only Way I Want It, a collection from award-winning, New York Times bestselling author and Helena native Maile Meloy. The film’s story explores how the lives of a lawyer, a cowboy and a married couple intersect in the “New West,” where the men are struggling to get their lives right in the face of aging, injury and bad luck – and the women are imperfectly blazing a trail.
An impressive and talented cast includes Laura Dern (“Wild,” “Jurrasic Park”), Michelle Williams (“Dawson’s Creek,” “My Week with Marilyn”), Kristen Stewart (“Still Alice,” “Twilight Saga”), Jared Harris (“Mad Men,” “Sherlock Holmes: A Game of Shadows”) and James Le Gros (“Point Break,” “Night Moves”).
Lily Gladstone, cast in a supporting role opposite Kristen Stewart, took on her most prestigious role to date following her work on Montana independent features “Winter in the Blood,” “Jimmy P.” and “Subterranea.” In “Certain Women: Gladstone plays a ranch hand who develops an intense yet innocent fascination with a young lawyer (Stewart) teaching local night school and must negotiate the terms of their ambiguous rapport with unexpected emotion.
Lauded by critics as a revelatory newcomer to independent film, Gladstone’s performance was collectively praised as the standout role in the Montana triptych. From Rolling Stone, “warm, silent and just as confused by her heart as we are, Gladstone’s gentle turn reveals a talent who can hint at greater depths of feeling than most performers could ever hope to show.”
Since “Certain Women,” Gladstone has also appeared in feature films “Buster’s Mal Heart” from director Sarah Adina Smith, and “Walking Out” from directors Alex and Andrew Smith; both were shot early this winter in Montana.
Raised on the Blackfeet Reservation, Gladstone received her BFA in acting with a minor in Native American studies from The University of Montana and has gone on three national tours with the Montana Repertory Theater. A champion of social justice, human rights and youth outreach, Gladstone works closely with Missoula’s Roxy Film Academy, Longhouse Media and several other advocacy groups.
A recipient of the Big Sky Film Grant, “Certain Women” is the first Montana feature since 2005 to receive official selection to the Sundance Film Festival. Previous Montana movies to premiere at Sundance include Travis Wilkerson’s “Who Killed Cock Robin?” and Alex and Andrew Smith’s “The Slaughter Rule.”
“Official selection to Sundance is a coveted reward for the dedicated work of independent filmmakers and Montana’s production workforce, and it’s wonderful to see a film that had such positive economic impact in Montana receive this honor,” said Montana Film Commissioner Deny Staggs.
“Certain Women” was filmed for 30 days in the Livingston/Bozeman area, hiring a largely Montana-based crew and spending over $1.4 million in state. Following the Sundance premiere the film is seeking domestic distribution and is expected to hit Montana screens later in 2016.
The Montana Film Office, a program of the Department Of Commerce, posts film news, casting calls and crew calls online weekly at www.montanafilm.com and on Facebook at facebook.com/MontanaFilmOffice.