Oscilloscope Pictures

Wendy (Michelle Williams) sets out with her dog, Lucy, for a job in Alaska only to have a major setback in Oregon.

Oscilloscope Pictures

Wendy (Michelle Williams)

Oscilloscope Pictures

Movie review

"Wendy and Lucy"

• 3-1/2 stars out of 5
• At Grandin Theatre.
• Rated R for language, drug use and implied violence.
• One hour, 20 minutes.
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"Wendy and Lucy" works perfectly as a parable for a time when many live on the verge of financial disaster -- in other words, a parable for today. It's sadly and ridiculously easy, Kelly Reichardt's movie tells us, to be pushed over the edge.

Wendy Carroll (Michelle Williams) is a young woman who sets out from Indiana to find work in Alaska, perhaps at a fish cannery in Ketchikan. Traveling in a moribund Honda, she carries only scant possessions, a few hundred dollars and her beloved mutt, Lucy.

We're told virtually nothing about Wendy's past, nor are we sure how her journey will end. Instead, Reichardt examines in detail a vignette that is sliced whole from the middle of Wendy's quest.

Her '88 Accord breaks down in a bleak Oregon mill town. The car is "underwater," to borrow a term from today's housing industry; repairs to the Honda will cost more than it's worth, and far more than is in Wendy's money belt. There's no credit card and nowhere she can turn for help.

That problem isn't Wendy's fault. The next two are. A bad decision places her on the wrong side of the law and causes her to lose Lucy. Wendy's forlorn efforts to recover the trusty dog account for most of the film. They also set up a heart wrenching final scene.

"Wendy and Lucy" is more than a slice of life. It is life.

Like Wendy, we make bad decisions as well as good ones. Like Wendy, we find that some people will help a stranger when she's down and some will not. She is befriended by a kindly security guard, but betrayed by a grocery clerk whose DNA lacks the gene for compassion. Like Wendy, we know that misfortune these days can be a short misstep away for anyone.

Homeless, nearly broke, short of her destination and bereft of her boon companion, Wendy has toppled over the edge.

Williams is at the core of the movie, appearing in virtually every scene. Her Wendy is tomboyish in appearance, not given to chatter or even to smiling. She's steadfast in her mission, whether it be finding Lucy or reaching Alaska.

Williams plays the part coolly except for the final scene and one harrowing dramatic passage. Her performance makes for an affecting protagonist and perfectly matches the crisp screenplay by Reichardt and co-writer Jon Raymond.

"Wendy and Lucy" isn't for every taste. Sparingly plotted and largely devoid of a soundtrack except for clanking trains and Wendy's own soft humming, it may seem more like a prolonged anecdote than a movie. But it bears thinking about, and those who bother will be rewarded.