Paralyzed Limbo

Hyper Realism goes Turbo with Existentialism in Oregon
by Morgan P Salvo


At first glance Wendy and Lucy seems to revel in simplicity. Wendy (Michelle Williams) is a girl. Lucy is a dog. Together they seem inseparable. But this is not to be the case. What unfolds is an intimate look at a road-weary girl’s predicament and her marooned isolation. Wendy and Lucy is a tale of things going wrong and the resulting whirlpool of consequences. Wendy is on her way to Alaska to work at a fish hatchery and en route gets stranded in Wilsonville, Oregon, losing her dog in the process. One bad thing leads to another. The irrepressible dent it leaves on Wendy is mesmerizing to witness.
This movie’s realism is almost painful. Time seems to slow down. This is not nail biting stuff. It’s more like watching laboratory animals squirm. In a weird voyeuristic effect, we as the audience are forced to either root for her or to want to jump in and help. The surrounding characters do their best to steer Wendy in the right direction, but are too immersed in their own hard times to get involved. Watching Wendy’s big dream getting smaller every second adds insult to injury. When Wendy’s car breaks down it’s truly the car hell we all can relate to. Trying to retrieve her beloved pet keeps the thread believable as to why she would stay in a town going nowhere fast.
There’s an assembly line of cameos revealing performances that keep the real life drama intact without grandstanding. Williams creates an intensely honest portrayal, tragically consumed by her dilemma. She expresses an even keel while lying under the surface there’s despair. Humming to herself while playing it cool, we know she’s about to burst. I was positive that Wally Dalton as a Walgreen’s security guard was found on the street but apparently he has a very lucrative TV career. Displaying heartfelt motives, his kindness is bleak and strange yet sincere. Will Patton (always guaranteed to bring a movie up a notch) is so believable as a sleazy yet fair car mechanic/shop owner that you’d think you could take your car to him after the movie to see if there was something wrong with it. Will Oldham takes a break from his “Palace Music” to play “Icky” with a cursing monologue ripping on dynamite and Alaskan fish hatcheries. John Robinson’s (Elephant) smarminess as the do-gooder store clerk will make you want to slap him. And Larry Fessenden’s crazed “man-in-the-park” brilliantly divulges a twisted anecdote relevant to everyone’s’ hard times.
Director Kelly Reichard( Old Joy) manages to keep us focused on every detailed scene and nuance. Every shot is exacting and every silence is filled with thought provoking stimulus. Even little touches like the panning of cages in the dog pound or the word “Goner” written on graffiti on a background wall tells a story. Telegraphing real time, no soundtrack music is used at all.
This is one downer of a movie, reminiscent of the saddest parts of Broken Flowers, The Good Girl, and The Straight Story. This flick would seriously kick major butt as a short. As a feature film, it becomes so drawn out that you end up wanting Wendy to just get on with her pathetic little saga. The problem with real life pain and real time story telling is that, as compelling as it is, there is no real transformation. We’re left with the moral trappings of sometimes things have to get worse before they get better. This hopefully conveys the positive message to sift out the good wherever possible.
As marginalized as the characters and story are the pain cuts deep. To Reichardt’s credit, the depth is brought out by the actors’ straight forward portrayals and the simplistic storytelling of this instantly engaging tale. W&L is about as real as it gets, with glimpses of hope only to be shattered. The haunting ending theme by Will Oldham puts the last existential nail in the coffin.


Wendy and Lucy
Starring: Michelle Williams, Larry Fessenden, Wally Dalton, John Robinson, Will Patton
Directed by: Kelly Reichardt
 3 stars