Despite reports that the humanities and arts are dying, seen as undesirable fields of study in universities, the practice of creating and engaging with art is higher than ever. Whether it be through a medium such as going to the movies with friends, attending the theater on a weekend night, pressing play on a streaming platform, or even cracking open a poetry book randomly at a store, the arts are very much alive and within everyday people’s lives. They may not realize it, but in daily routines, there is beauty to be found, and wisdom to be learned. Art programs, too, have evolved to include people from all walks of life. A24’s most recent film, Showing Up, is an exemplary example of what this looks like through the lens of its protagonist as she engages with art, her family, and her classmates daily.
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Showing Up is an A24 movie, and it shows in its cinematography, themes, and casting. It marks the fourth collaboration between actress Michelle Williams (Manchester By the Sea, Brokeback Mountain) and director Kelly Reichardt (First Cow, Certain Woman, Night Moves). Reichart, when previously interviewed, mentioned that she enjoys working with Williams because of her confidence, as well as how she interrogates and questions the material she is working with. In Showing Up, this manifests through how she embodies her character, Lizzy, and her anxieties as she works through her personal and artistic lives. Williams is paired opposite of actress Hong Chau (Downsizing, Homecoming), who is one of her fellow students.
The supporting cast includes Judd Hirsch, Maryann Plunkett, John Magaro, André Benjamin, and Heather Lawless. Together they form the heart and community that writers Reichardt and Jonathan Raymond concocted to tell the broader story about how despite everything going on in one’s personal life, artists will always turn back to art to understand themselves and the world better. Showing Up turns out to be a quieter sort of movie, not a coming-of-age like Lady Bird, and it makes sense considering its protagonist is a much older student than one would expect at a college. And that, too, is completely okay in the grand scheme of things—although she has a lot to learn about showing up for herself, not just others.
Chaos in the Form of Artistry
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Showing Up’s protagonist is Lizzy (Williams), an art student who makes sculptures of women, ones in her life and fictional, as a part of her creative process. She lives in a rental apartment with a landlord, Jo (Chau), who went to Lizzy’s school and is one of the few successful alumni in recent years. Lizzy has issues with Jo because of a lack of hot water in her apartment. For two weeks, she has been living without any hot water, and whenever she brings it up to Jo to try and get it fixed, Jo simply says that she is getting to it amid her busy life. These two’s relationship serves as a foil for the opposite character; while Jo seemingly has it all, including a budding art career, nothing seems to go right for Lizzy.
Despite this, Lizzy is preparing for a solo exhibition of her sculptures. She frantically tries to get the last of her pieces done, but nothing seems to be going right. After requesting off from work for a day, her cat, Ricky, mauls a pigeon in the middle of the night. Lizzy dumps it outside, but the next day, when she is supposed to have off, Jo finds the pigeon, wraps up its wounds, and leaves it in Lizzy’s care. The two women begin a long-term game with that pigeon throughout the movie, as it shuffles back and forth between their homes, ultimately leading Lizzy into a deep emotional attachment to the animal despite everyone making fun of her for it.
This is not everything that seems to go wrong in Lizzy’s life, too. Showing Up explores her relationship with her parents, as they have a splintered family dynamic. Her parents are divorced, Lizzy’s mother is her boss, her father is taking in strangers that have wandered down from Canada, and her brother, Sean, lives at home and seems to be struggling with mental health issues. When a different family member is brought up to each of them individually, they reply tensely, shrugging off the mentioned person and attempting to change the subject completely. Lizzy is the only one actively shown to be making an effort to see each member of her immediate family at the beginning of the movie, suggesting that she is the anchor that tries to keep what is left of them together.
Showing Up is not going to be a film for everyone—it is vaguely reminiscent of another selection at the New York Film Festival, The Novelist’s Film, which is also about art and the processes of creating it. There are well-timed jokes and gags sprinkled throughout the plot, adding a refreshing twist to break up what might be considered a bit too monotonous. A lot of what Lizzy does happens to be a part of her daily life. She goes out to buy cat food, she has deadlines to meet and if she does not meet them, it might jeopardize her career, and her social life may be a little lacking. There are a couple of interrupted moments of drama, such as her pseudo-feud with Jo and the situation with Sean, but, besides that, the movie largely focuses on Lizzy’s everyday life and her artistry.
A Glimpse of Creativity and Life
Michelle Williams is the star of this show, and it shows with her performance as Lizzy. Lizzy, as a character, is struggling with so much but fails to find the proper words and actions to describe what she is feeling. Lizzy is depicted as not having many relationships on-screen and appears to be a massive bundle of nerves and anxiety. Williams’ performance is complimented well by her co-star, Hong Chau, who slides naturally into the role of Jo. Jo is set up to be a slight antagonistic force in Lizzy’s life, an inevitable comparison in the natural path of who is going to be more successful. But, by the end of the film, both girls are put on equal footing as they wander the streets in search of cigarettes. They walk side by side when, before, they are often shown at varying heights to each other, implying a dynamic difference in power between the two.
Showing Up’s power lies largely in its quiet moments. Whether it is a simple shot panning over Lizzy’s clay creations, or a subtle glimpse at her face when she discovers one of them has been charred in the kiln, the film may not have a lot to say literally on a superficial level. Instead, it offers so much more upon a second viewing or after mulling it over for a while. It becomes increasingly obvious throughout the film’s events that Lizzy does not know how to say no to others, even if it means that she is going to be negatively impacted by the events to come. That is why she says yes to taking care of the pigeon, or constantly going to her family members when they may not make the same effort to do so for her. The title asks the viewers this: will Lizzy show up for herself when the time comes?
The answer to that question may not be specifically touched on, but by the end, there is hope for what is to come. Lizzy and Jo, who both appear older than their fresh-faced comrades at the art school, both have talent. It might not be directly stated, but there is an overwhelming pressure to succeed in the art industry, and only the top few—despite whether they are talented or not—are going to make it to the upper echelons of the high art world. There are two major factors against both of the leading female characters, too, to consider when it comes to their careers: they are older and they are both women. Both of these characteristics can and will hinder their careers due to the vast discrimination that happens in these industries. After seeing what the movie has to offer, it becomes clearer that life will continue, and that art will be a part of them regardless of what happens. Whether they become famous or not, there is little doubt they will continue to find ways to create through other means.
Showing Up was screened as a part of the 2022 New York Film Festival.
