Wendy and Lucy

Wendy and Lucy is writer/director Kelly Reichardt's follow-up to 2006's Old Joy. Wendy and Lucy is a no-frills tale about Wendy, played wonderfully by Michelle Williams, her dog Lucy, and her stop in a small Oregon town on her way to Alaska. Wendy encounters many difficulties, some through bad luck and some through bad choices.

Wendy and Lucy is the type of film that is quickly becoming my favorite: low-key, simple story, attention to minutae, and well-acted. In fact, it's a good companion piece to one of my other favorite films of the year, The Wrestler. Both films center around the difficulties of a conflicted character. Both films offer a gritty sense of reality. Both films have characters who are slaves to their life choices. Plus, both films are really good.

I do have to admit that Wendy and Lucy does take some patience to sit through. The plot is sparse. There's no soundtrack and little dialogue. But it is still appealing, at least to me. Kinsey didn't go to see this with me because she thought it looked cliche. A young character out of society, someone we're supposed to feel sorry for, emotional distress, etc., etc. But Wendy and Lucy doesn't play out that way. The viewer is not asked to feel sorry for Wendy but we're not asked to judger her either. The film is as far from manipulative as you can get. It is simply a glimpse into Wendy's life. And its a glimpse we can all relate to, how we have to face the results, good or bad, of our choices, good or bad.

After much deliberation, I'm revising my Top 5 and sticking Wendy and Lucy at number five. It pains me to take out Wall-E. If it was the first 2/3 of Wall-E vs. Wendy and Lucy, Wall-E would definitely take it. But judged as a whole, I think Wendy and Lucy just edges out Wall-E.

Wade: 4 stars