Joseph Mcilroy reviews Showing Up at Borderlines Film Festival

Not many films can capture the true essence of ordinary life, yet keep the portrayal so fresh and fulfilling. But if anyone can, it’s Kelly Reichardt.

Showing Up is the latest film directed by Kelly Reichardt, an American screenwriter and director. Kelly is well known for films that explore the lives of working class individuals in rural areas. Her films are often quite minimalistic, observational and a strong example of slow cinema. Kelly's films (Wendy & Lucy for example) are brilliant at transporting viewers into the everyday world of someone else—often a dull one—which I believe might help us escape and relate to the often dull lives we lead.

Showing Up gives us an insight into the life of Lizzy, an artist living in suburbia America, balancing family, friends, a difficult landlord and the looming fear of her upcoming exhibition. Here we see Kelly stick to what she does best, a minimalist, mostly relaxed film about an everyday life, and I was very much along for the ride. We watch Lizzy as she battles the overwhelming demands of life. We see her pursuing her creative work, finding time for it, and resisting the need to overthink and doubt her own abilities - especially in light of the ease at which others seem to produce and succeed in comparison.

This film was not clichéd or contrived, and it didn’t romanticise the loneliness or monotonous of life. The slightly dysfunctional family dynamic, ‘pretentious’ artists, difficult friends, are displayed with a charming and often witty sense. Despite focusing on these obstacles so regularly, Showing Up never lost its optimism, which kept it from turning too stale or desolate and its accurate portrayal of reality was really aided by its balance of struggles and fulfilment in Lizzy's life.

The film did have its more tense moments, something we’ve seen Reichardt explore before, with one difficulty in Lizzy's life leading to another. There are moments where I was expecting Lizzy to snap, after all the issues seemed to pile up, but Reichardt masterfully subverts our expectations and this does not happen, despite it being teased numerous times. Instead, we are focused on surprises and touches on humanity, especially when it came to the injured bird that Lizzy began to look after. I did occasionally wonder where the film was headed and what it was attempting to accomplish, but sometimes these questions don't need to be addressed. We will always be left with these questions after watching a movie that shows life in such an honest and humorous manner—possibly because we ponder these same questions about our own lives.

Reichardt’s newest work is an enjoyable and comforting experience that will leave you pleasantly surprised. The film certainly requires patience, and may not be for everyone, but for those who enjoy a film full of heart, enjoy stories that demonstrate humanity at such a realistic level and induce empathy within us, then this is certainly one I recommend.