Kelly Reichardt is known for rooting her storytelling in intimate character studies that possess a lived-in feel that’s both charming and unhurried. With her new film, Showing Up, she offers another slice of life which delves into an artist’s craft.
Michelle Williams stars in Showing Up as a sculptor in the midst of preparing work for her next gallery showing. In the days before the new show, she must balance crafting her work and dealing with the daily dramas instigated by her family and friends—as well as the consistent lack of hot water in her home.
In addition to Williams, Showing Up fills out its cast with Hong Chau (The Whale, The Menu), Maryann Plunkett, John Magaro (who previously starred in Reichardt’s First Cow), André Benjamin, James Le Gros, and Judd Hirsch. Reichardt wrote the film alongside novelist and long-time writing partner Jon Raymond.
Showing Up marks Williams’ fourth outing with Reichardt, as she previously starred in Wendy And Lucy, Meek’s Cutoff, and Certain Women.
“She’s game for anything. That’s the main thing. That’s what makes it fun,” Reichardt previously said of working with The Fabelmans actor.
As with all of Reichardt’s previous films, Showing Up was crafted on a low budget and could only come together after years of scrambling for financial support. Prior to the film’s premiere at Cannes Film Festival earlier this year, Williams revealed the director struggles to get by most of the time, despite her renowned work.
“Am I going to regret saying this?” Williams said in an interview with Variety. “Kelly spent a lot of time on [friends’] couches. Even as a revered filmmaker, she teaches [at Bard College] to supplement her filmmaking. Because she makes films infrequently, she doesn’t have health insurance through the DGA. So, she has a theater named after her at the Sorbonne, but she has to teach to get health insurance.”
At Cannes this year, Reichardt was awarded the Carrosse d’Or, an award which has been bestowed upon the likes of John Carpenter, Martin Scorsese, and Werner Herzog. In August, she reflected on the particular space she’s carved out for herself over her 28-year career.
“I have done a lot of work in the last two decades and I work in a similar kind of mode and budget size,” Reichardt said. “People are familiar with my producers and know them to be very reliable people. I’m not having to prove myself at every outing.”
An exact release date for Showing Up has not been shared yet, but A24 promises it’s “coming soon.”