Wendy and Lucy is American neo-realist filmmaker Kelly Reichardt’s latest addition to the movement, and her follow up to the acclaimed Old Joy. Wendy and Lucy stars Michelle Williams as Wendy Carroll, a young woman traveling to Alaska in search of work. Her only companion is her dog Lucy. Wendy faces challenges along the way (lack of money, broken car, etc.), but the worst of her setbacks is the loss of Lucy, who disappears somewhere along their journey.
Lucy’s disappearance is the main point of the purposefully simple plot. The film is not plot-driven; it’s a character film that’s really about the infinite search for the American dream.
Michelle Williams is amazing as Wendy. Her performance was one of last year’s best: naturalistic, youthful. She’s an easy actress to fall in love with.
Wendy and Lucy is, like Old Joy, a meditative and thoughtful film. Unlike Old Joy, however, this one never really meanders. There’s always something going on. I think that with time, Wendy and Lucy will be looked back on as a key film in the American Neorealist movement.
WENDY & LUCY : B
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