Showing Up (film)

Showing Up is a 2022 American comedy-drama film co-written and directed by Kelly Reichardt, in her fourth collaboration with actress Michelle Williams. The film follows a sculptor managing the competing attentions of her art, job, family, and friendships.

Showing Up premiered at the Cannes Film Festival on May 27, 2022, where it was nominated for the Palme d'Or. The film was released theatrically in the United States by A24 on April 7, 2023. It received largely positive reviews, with particular praise for Williams' performance and Reichardt's direction. It was also named one of the top 10 independent films of 2023 by the National Board of Review. In 2024, the film received the Robert Altman Award at the 39th Independent Spirit Awards.

Plot
Lizzy is a sculptor and arts administrator assistant for her mother at her alma mater, the Oregon College of Art and Craft. She is also working on a showing of her work, clay sculptures of women in joyful or anguished movement.

Lizzy's landlord and neighbor Jo, a rival artist, frequently spars with her. For days, Lizzy is continuously reminding Jo to fix Lizzy's hot water heater, but Jo prioritizes everything else, like hanging a tire swing in the backyard and her two upcoming shows. To have enough time to finish her sculptures, Lizzy takes Tuesday off from work. In the middle of the night, Lizzy's cat maims a pigeon that flew into the house. Lizzy throws the pigeon outside, but Jo discovers and rescues it the next morning, before dumping the work of taking care of it on Lizzy. Lizzy is at first actively resentful before she begins to bond with the bird. She ends up taking it to the vet, which costs her $150. When Jo finally comes for the bird, Lizzy lets her know it distracted her and kept her from her glazing.

Lizzy visits her father at home. She does not trust the hippies who have invited themselves to stay with him, who are more grifters than friends. Lizzy discovers that he has not had contact with her brother Sean for six months. Concerned, Lizzy goes to see Sean. He has become reclusive, and is delusional, convinced that his neighbors are behind his TV antenna not working. Contacting their mother about it, Lizzy believes her brother needs more than just emotional help, but is told he is simply a misunderstood genius.

The weekend right before her show, Lizzy's final piece burns on one side in the kiln. Visiting Sean, he is digging a massive pit in his backyard and insists he is hearing voices, which Lizzy and others choose not to hear. She convinces her mother to come watch him. Lizzy's mother puts Sean to sleep after he suffers the mental episode. Although it was arranged that he would come to the show, when she arrives he is not there. Lizzy is nervous, hearing that he has wandered off alone.

At Lizzy's show, her family shows up, even Sean, having taken the bus. Jo comes and brings the pigeon. It has its bandages removed by two unsupervised girls. Everyone watches as Sean releases the bird and it flies away. Jo and Lizzy go looking for it, but eventually accept it was ready to fly.

Production
On January 26, 2021, it was announced that Michelle Williams would star in Showing Up, in her fourth collaboration with writer-director Kelly Reichardt after Wendy and Lucy, Meek's Cutoff, and Certain Women. In June 2021, Hong Chau, Judd Hirsch, Maryann Plunkett, John Magaro, André Benjamin, Heather Lawless, Amanda Plummer, Larry Fessenden, and James Le Gros joined the cast. Principal photography began on June 7, 2021, and concluded on July 15, 2021, in Portland, Oregon. Portland-based artist, Cynthia Lahti, created Lizzy's sculptures and drawings which feature prominently throughout the film.

The project was originally conceived as a biopic of Canadian artist Emily Carr and the 10 years she spent as a landlord hoping it would offer her more free time to work on her art, but instead forced her to paint less. Reichardt said the film officially pivoted away from Carr when she first embarked to Canada to research for the film and "the passport guy asked us what we were doing, and we said, 'We're coming to research a painter named Emily Carr.' And he goes, 'Oh yeah. We learned about her.' That took the wind out of our sails, that she was so famous."

Critical response
Showing Up was ranked tenth on Cahiers du Cinéma's top 10 films of 2023 list, tied with A Prince.