WITH Wendy and Lucy, writer- director Kelly Reichardt affirms all the promise shown in her earlier Old Joy, which observed two male friends reunited for a camping trip, during which they realise just how far apart they have grown.
Both movies have much in common, being set in Oregon, based on short stories by Jon Raymond (who collaborated on the screenplays with Reichardt), and featuring musician Will Oldham and Reichardt’s own dog in the cast.
Once again, the mood is melancholy in Wendy and Lucy, and the style is minimalist and deceptively low-key. Reichardt avoids overloading it with dramatic incident, and she makes eloquent use of silence.
Michelle Williams immerses herself in her character, Wendy, a determinedly self- sufficient loner accompanied by her Golden Retriever, Lucy, on a long journey from Indiana to Alaska for the prospect of work at a fish cannery and the hope of a new life.
In several respects, the film recalls Sean Penn's Into the Wild, in which Chris McCandless (played by Emile Hirsch) sheds all material possessions and goes north to Alaska and a self-imposed life in the wilderness. Travelling on a meagre budget, Wendy is faced with unexpected financial problems when her old car breaks down in a rural Oregon town, and what appears to be a road movie shifts gear to etch a vivid character study of desperation and survival.
As Wendy experiences the kindness – and the danger – of strangers, she encounters sympathy, indifference and bureaucracy in different measures. A phone call to her sister prompts a curt, dismissive response, and we realise that Lucy is Wendy’s closest friend in a tough world.
Wendy is vulnerable and naive enough to draw further problems on herself; by then, however, we have grown to care for her and her dog. The film is deeply affecting in depicting the bond between a human and a beloved pet, which is established with an effectiveness and heartfelt empathy that’s rare in movies and without a trace of phoney sentiment.
On screen throughout, Williams is hypnotic in a beautifully judged, naturalistic performance that is understated and subtly expressive over the course of a touching, tender and endearing picture rooted in honesty, concern and compassion.
