“I won’t get the time back,” the artist laments.
Alas, a day off from work should have been a sacred loss of productivity.
But little worries slip through the cracks and nag at her.In the hands of a less astute director, a portrait about a distressed artist — a sculptor in this case — may give into the worst impulses of indulgence or overexploitation.
Luckily, director Kelly Reichardt never lets “Showing Up” (a simple and sparing screenplay by writer Jon Raymond) stumble into any of those pitfalls.
It can be paired with “Tár” and “The Eternal Daughter,” both (compelling) New York Film Festival selections that also focus on the tribulations of women nailed to their projects.Though unlike Cate Blanchett’s egomaniac conductor and Tilda Swinton’s mournful screenwriter in these respective films, Michelle Williams’ Portland sculptor in Reichardt’s picture does not hail from a background of more lavish resources nor are her stakes as melodramatic.
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