Jessica Watson

A séance is performed by three cloned versions of the filmmaker in order to make a connection to another plane.  The rules of the séance, written in 1920 by parapsychologist Hereward Carrington, are invoked on camera by novelist Lynne Tillman.  According the text, roses which are seen as lights by spirits on the other plane, are placed on the séance table as a beacon. The spiritual dimension of the séance is captured with black and white video cameras dating back to the early 1970's that create visually stunning artifacts of light trails, black halos, and scan lines that swirl endlessly into the unknown.

Caldwell's pulp storytelling, proto-feminist stance and unabashed social dramatization of his characters are a distinct vision of the condition of women -- specifically working class women. His broadly drawn themes of small town hypocrisy and restrictive moral values contextualize the titular characters' struggle for sexual expression, stability and independence. Certain Women is a disconcerting parable that pays tribute to but also defies the 50s period style of Caldwell, opting for contemporary small town situations and cinematic style. This cautionary tale of four heroic yet ordinary women is fashioned out of the past but relies on observations of the present historical moment and its political reality.