Unquestionably, some viewers are going to find Kelly Reichardt’s Wendy and Lucy incredibly dull. There’s no action, hardly any plot, no grand character arcs or comic setups. It’s a very minor-key movie, unassuming and understated in its presentation and themes. What it does offer, though, is a handful of powerful performances and a heart-wrenching look at one women’s hopelessness as a mirror for a larger problem.
On the surface, Wendy and Lucy is beyond simple. Wendy Carroll (Michelle Williams) is slowly working her way from Indiana to Alaska in a beat-up old car with her dog, Lucy. Funds are tight, as Wendy has no choice but to sleep in her car and keep a meticulous record of every cent she has in her pocket and every mile left on her journey. In Oregon, her car breaks down, she’s caught shoplifting dog food and while being held by the police, Lucy — the one ray of sunlight in Wendy’s overcast life — disappears.
Underneath this bare-bones story, Reichardt and co-writer Johnathan Raymond subtly weave a poignant look at a dilapidated Middle America. While trying to track down Lucy, Wendy befriends a kindly, unnamed security guard (Wally Dalton) who considers himself lucky to have landed a job where he stands gazing across an empty parking lot for 12 hours a day. He tells her that since the mill near the town closed years ago, he has no idea what most people do to fill their days.
It’s here that Wendy and Lucy really cements itself. Suddenly, Wendy is no longer just a depressed and disenfranchised youth on an unexplained trip across a continent, but is symptomatic of a dying blue-collar America, and Lucy is her one reminder of a happiness that no longer seems attainable. That Reichardt captures all of this through the occasional laconic discussion or image of urban decay, instead of smacking audiences in the face with it, is truly commendable.
Wendy and Lucy could have easily fallen into maudlin navel-gazing without the right performances. Fortunately, the film excels in this department. Williams is excellent as Wendy, inhabiting the character’s hopelessness with stirring conviction. Though about 50 per cent of her lines are some variation on yelling “LOO-CEE,” Williams captures all of Wendy’s loss, isolation, frustration and powerlessness perfectly. Dalton also gives a strong showing, nailing his character’s internal struggle over wanting to help this poor woman and his knowledge that he’s close to falling into similar circumstances.
Wendy and Lucy is far from fun, but it is a very good film. Its story is depressing but visceral. Its conclusion is predictable, but no less heartbreaking because of it. It’s more likely to leave audiences with red, swollen eyes and a sense of despair than pleased smiles. Yes, some people will find its brief 80-minute run time unspeakably slow moving, but it’s absolutely worth the bad feelings. Films so quietly beautiful and delicately moving don’t come around very often.
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