I have seen several of Kelly Reichardt's previous films and thought every one of them was smart and at the same time entertaining. This one did not appeal to me. I did not like the 4:3 frame ratio, which I thought had died a well-deserved death in about 1945. I understand from an interview with her, that Ms. Reichardt thought the format would help capture the characters' faces. As someone accustomed to the conventionally wider screen, the narrow frame was only a distraction. I also didn't like the cinematography, which seemed unnecessarily dark and dreary. It went beyond trying to create an atmosphere and ended up looking like the DP had made a mistake in his camera settings. The story itself was very slow in developing. Ms. Reichardt's earlier films also were slow paced, but the pacing fit them so well that it aided their stories. This time it just interfered. I know that generally critics liked this film, but I see from some comments here on IMDB that I am not alone in being disappointed.
