River of Grass (1994)

directed by Kelly Reichardt
USA
76 minutes
5 stars out of 5
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I didn't know where to start with Kelly Reichardt's filmography so I figured her first film would be as safe a bet as any. Although there's not as much hubbub around it as with her later works, River of Grass is something that makes me definitely want to know more, and I'm glad I watched it. It's the kind of movie that can change the mood of a day or evening entirely.

It introduces us to the main character, Cozy, straight away, and while the virtue of having a camera turned on her inherently makes her at least a vaguely interesting person, the intent seems to have been to make the protagonist as average and unremarkable as possible. As I said I'm pretty unfamiliar with Reichardt's output, but I think having characters who feel unembellished is a bit of a trademark for her. This movie is a melting pot of influences- Coen brothers, Jarmusch, Linklater, and a helping of neo-noir- but none of them hold a candle to the upcoming talent that was Kelly Reichardt.

I know the early 90s were a time for only the most proto- of proto-mumblecore, but watching this, it's clear how much of an influence it's been on modern-day mumblecore as well as just how inauthentic so many of those modern films are. River of Grass doesn't feel like it's trying and it certainly doesn't feel like it's meant to make its characters look cool and savvy; these are people in their 30s or close to it who still have no direction in life, no real aspirations, and absolutely no money. Compare that to what people generally think of as the face of mumblecore today: Everything out there seems, in some way, to relate to New York, all the characters are achingly youthful, having no money is turned into a trendy thing as opposed to an obstacle, and in general there is an air of trying much, much too hard that does not befit the humble beginnings of- if we can call it one- the genre.

I think Kelly Reichardt understands what it's like to live in America truly, not the sophisticated, high-class America of anywhere known to be a hub for youth. There's something depressing about this movie, though it stays as far away from becoming "poverty porn" as it can- that feeling of depression comes from the larger image that it paints, an image of a country where the lifestyle of the average person is bumming around with no idea where to go or what to do. It also speaks to the fetishization of violence that's prevalent in American culture, with how Cozy feels like if she isn't a criminal, if she isn't living life on the edge, who is she, really? That paints a portrait of the American identity at its barest and most truthful: Everyone wants to be someone, even if that someone is a bad someone.