The road movie occupies an important place in American cinema; going back to the Westerns of yesteryear, movement cross-country in narrative terms has always stood in for progress and the state of the nation. Here we have a film that establishes itself very definitely as a road movie before completely ceasing all movement. It's a moody piece with a complex performance from Michelle Williams, giving us a character with very clear faults but also a muted fragility that makes her extremely interesting to watch. Kelly Reichardt's direction discovers a stilted America, stuck somewhere between here and there with no good clue of where to turn next. It has the grace to reserve judgement and leave its message open to interpretation; this is an engagingly realist tale of loneliness and desperation, hope and conviction.