Seventh Row

A place to think deeply about movies

Roads to nowhere is the only book to cover all of Kelly Reichardt’s films up to Showing Up, including particular focus on First Cow. It is the only non-academic book on Kelly Reichardt’s work, and is currently available as an ebook only.

Roads to nowhere — an ebook on Kelly Reichardt

“As a Kelly Reichardt fan, I can’t recommend [Roads to nowhere] enough.” – Cláudio Alves, The Film Experience

“Breathtaking in its insight.” – Christopher Schobert, The Film Stage

“A terrific read for anyone who loves and studies both the filmmaker and contemporary independent American cinema.” – Shelagh Rowan-Legg, Screen Anarchy

ORDER NOW

The ebook Roads to nowhere: Kelly Reichardt’s broken American dreams will be delivered to you as both a PDF and ePub.

Roads to Nowhere ebook Kelly Reichardt broken american dreams book
WATCH A SHORT INTRO TO REICHARDT’S FILMS

As featured on

Read the excerpt
Kelly Reichardt mug + Roads to nowhere ebook

Get the ebook + a Reichardt mug

Celebrate your love of Kelly Reichardt every morning with your cup of tea or coffee, as you remember fondly that ‘sorrow is just worn-out joy’.

This 11 oz. ceramic mug is dishwasher and microwave safe. Original designs by Jade Duncan Knight.

Buy the ebook + mug
Cookie + King Lu Baking Co. t-shirt

Get the Cookie + King Lu Baking Co. t-shirt

If you loved First Cow, get the company t-shirt Cookie and King Lu would have made in 2022.

Buy the t-shirt

About the book

Roads to nowhere offers the first in-depth, 360-degree look at Reichardt’s process through interviews with Reichardt herself and her collaborators on First Cow, many of whom have been working with her for years including cinematographer Christopher Blauvelt (who has worked with her on every film since Meek’s Cutoff), author Jon Raymond (who co-wrote almost all the Oregon films), and costume designer April Napier (Certain Women, First Cow).

Roads to nowhere is the only non-academic book on the market on Kelly’s work and the only book covering all of Kelly’s work leading up to Showing Up.

Through interviews with Reichardt and her entire creative team in front of and behind the camera, discover how such remarkable, detailed, thoughtful films actually get made — and on small budgets in a sexist film industry.

Through behind-the-scenes images, Roads to nowhere creates an intimacy that will make you feel like you’re right there on set with Reichardt and the team.

Through essays, Roads to nowhere covers everything from how Reichardt’s films explore the negative effects of capitalism on the marginalised, to the lack of social support networks for people in the US, to the lies we’re told about the American Dream and what those realities actually look like for most people.

Behind-the-scenes polaroids from First Cow courtesy of Christopher Blauvelt. This is one of many BTS artifacts that appears in the book.
Order Roads to nowhere now!

What’s inside Roads to nowhere

1. Interviews revealing Reichardt’s collaborative process

  • Kelly Reichardt on First Cow and on her body of work to date
  • Co-writer Jon Raymond on First Cow and his ongoing collaboration with Reichardt
  • Cinematographer Christopher Blauvelt (Meek’s Cutoff, Night Moves, Certain Women, First Cow)
  • Costume designer April Napier (Certain Women, First Cow)
  • Production designer Anthony Gasparro (Certain Women, First Cow)
  • Sound designer Leslie Shatz (Wendy and Lucy, Meek’s Cutoff, Certain Women, First Cow)
  • Actress Lily Gladstone (Certain Women, First Cow)
  • Actors Orion Lee and John Magaro (First Cow)
  • Composer William Tyler (First Cow)
  • Assistant editor Ben Mercer (Certain Women, First Cow)

2. Essays on each of Reichardt’s films

3. Case studies on Certain Women and First Cow

Table of Contents for Roads to nowhere: Kelly Reichardt's broken American dreams book ebook
Table of Contents page 2 for Roads to nowhere ebook on Kelly Reichardt book

Praise for Roads to Nowhere

I can’t recommend Roads to Nowhere enough

“A book that celebrates the auteur that is Reichardt without erasing the collectivity of making movies… This is a book about making films, but it’s also about watching cinema, experiencing its refracted perspectives, and going into the imagination of others. As a Kelly Reichardt fan, I can’t recommend it enough and hope that, if you do venture into its pages of knowledge and discovery, you can find as much joy as I did…one sometimes feels alone in their cinephilia. Roads to Nowhere assures us, at least it assured me, that we’re not lonesome after all.”
Cláudio Alves
Critic, The Film Experience

Breathtaking in its insight

“Once again, the Seventh Row team of Alex Heeney and Orla Smith have collaborated on a book that is breathtaking in its insight. Roads to Nowhere: Kelly Reichardt’s Broken American Dreams follows the release of what might be the director’s finest work to date, First Cow. While there is plenty here about the early 1800s-set Cow, Reichardt’s entire career is represented….Reichardt deserves this sterling tribute, and readers will gain even greater appreciation for her work.”
Christopher Schobert
The Film Stage

A terrific read

“Roads to Nowhere is as much a book for fans as it is for theorists, and one that also adds components of teaching how to make a film, or perhaps more accurately, how to make a Kelly Reichardt film. It’s a terrific read for anyone who loves and studies both the filmmaker and contemporary independent American cinema.”
Shelagh Rowan-Legg
Editor, Screen Anarchy

Listen to the book’s editors discuss Reichardt + the ebook

How to buy Roads to nowhere: Kelly Reichardt’s broken American dreams

Snag our ebook, and become an expert on Kelly Reichardt and discover her filmmaking process through the lens of First Cow.

The ebook is available as an ePub and PDF, which are readable on all tablets, smart phones, and eReaders.

Or save money by becoming a member and getting this book FREE!

Order The Book + Mug now!