I’ve really struggled to connect with Michelle Williams’ acting style; her quiet, subdued way of delivering lines consistently leaves me feeling let down, and this film doesn’t change that. She plays "Lizzy," whose cat gets into a fight with a pigeon—she throws it out the door, but her neighbor/landlord, "Jo" (Hong Chau), rescues it. It seems she's more preoccupied with this bird than with her tenant’s persistent pro…

It's hard to ignore a film that feels like exposing a significant truth, and I feel driven to share my reaction regarding Kelly Reichardt’s newest comedy-drama. This slow-moving, self-contained, stripped-down, and often puzzling presentation recounts the experiences of a Portland ceramic artist—played by Michelle Williams—who is trying to finish her pieces for an upcoming exhibition while dealing with everyday proble…