“Often feeling aimless as its protagonist wanders from scene to scene”

Somewhere within Kelly Reichardt’s Showing Up, there’s the potential for an interesting film that expresses ideas about artistry, self-worth, and perfectionism in a way that feels profound. However, the recently released A24 drama falls short of accomplishing this, as it makes these themes apparent but is seemingly unable to do anything with them that leaves an impact. Reichardt—who is best known for her critically-acclaimed 2019 film First Cow—once again turns to Michelle Williams as her leading lady. The two have collaborated several times over the years since the 2008 drama Wendy and Lucy, and their latest project sees Williams play Lizzy, an artist preparing for her upcoming show. With a dull administrative job at the Oregon College of Art and Craft, Lizzy navigates interactions with the various people in her life while working against the clock to complete her sculptures, odd-looking colourful ceramic pieces that depict women in an array of poses.

Throughout the course of the film, audiences see Lizzy engage with a revolving cast of characters, from her neighbour Jo (Hong Chau), a fellow artist who is experiencing a more successful career, to Dorothy (Amanda Plummer), a woman who knows a New York Gallery owner and actively takes an interest in Lizzy’s work. There is also her complicated family, with Lizzy’s neurotic mother Jean (Maryann Plunkett), free-wheeling father Bill (Judd Hirsch), and unstable brother Sean (John Magaro) all making appearances. And while Lizzy’s co-worker Eric (André 3000) is helpful in providing her with the equipment so she can finish the sculptures for her big show, even this ends up causing complications later on. Each of these characters exist to create new obstacles for Lizzy that force her attention elsewhere or cause her feelings of inadequacy to surface, which seems to be the entire plot of the film. While the film strives for simplicity and straightforwardness, it is almost too simplistic and mundane to be enjoyable.

The biggest problem is the film’s lack of momentum, often feeling aimless as its protagonist wanders from scene to scene. As it documents the various moments over the days leading up to Lizzy’s exhibition—many of which complicate her life as a result of the unexpected setbacks they cause— the issue is that the stakes just don’t feel weighted enough. For the most part, things happen around her and she responds in a fairly detached manner. There are a few exceptions to this, such as when Lizzy creates her sculptures or chooses to detour her day to visit the veterinarian. Even if her passiveness is intentional, it makes for a frustrating watch. Williams’ performance is fine enough as she does her best with a rather dull script, her scenes with Chau being some of the film’s best. The two have an entertaining back-and-forth dynamic that allows them to play off each other well, and one of the more enjoyable subplots involves both looking after an injured bird. Lizzy’s constant inquiry about when Jo will fix the hot water also becomes something of a running joke, the implication being that this just isn’t a priority for her.

With its slow pacing and focus on art being created through various physical mediums, Showing Up is a film that audiences will either find themselves embracing or struggling to find resonance with. It leans a little too far into arthouse cinema to be more widely accessible, making it a challenge to stay engaged with for the duration of its nearly 2-hour runtime. When the film finally draws to a close, it does so in a way that feels anticlimactic, despite what should have been a pivotal scene occurring just moments earlier. Perhaps if viewers were given more to emotionally invest in and a plot with more narrative structure, Reichardt’s latest wouldn’t fall so flat, as Lizzy does little more on-screen than what the film’s title suggests.

Director: Kelly Reichardt

Producers: Neil Kopp, Vincent Savino, Anish Savjani

Cast: Michelle Williams, Hong Chau, Maryann Plunkett, Judd Hirsch, John Magaro, André 3000, Amanda Plummer

Release Date: 7 April 2023 (limited theatrical release)