It was directed by Kelly Reichardt, who also co-wrote the script, along with Jon Raymond. When her car breaks down, and her dog is taken to the pound, the thin fabric of her financial situation comes apart, and she is led through a series of increasingly dire economic decisions. Wendy and Lucy Use the HTML below. But when your reality is so harsh and greater problems seem to arise everyday, she can't even afford the luxury of escapism as others do, so why should the audience have any exception? There should be no ending, no "to be continued", only "What now?" Without ruining things … It's quiet -- virtually silent in parts -- and at just 80 minutes, it makes its point without overstating it. Independent. Over the summer, a series of unfortunate happening triggers a financial crisis for a young woman and she soon finds her life falling apart. The film stars Michelle Williams as Wendy, a homeless woman who searches for her lost dog, Lucy (played by Reichardt's own dog of that name, who had previously appeared in Old Joy. Wendy (Michelle Williams), a near-penniless drifter, is traveling to Alaska in search of work, and her only companion is her dog, Lucy. The film was shot in 18 days with a crew of volunteers and using only available light. At a supermarket, she leaves Lucy outside while she attempts to shoplift dog food. The film won both Best Picture and Best Actress at the 12th Toronto Film Critics Association Awards. DID YOU KNOW? Wendy, a near-penniless drifter, is traveling to Alaska in search of work, and her only companion is her dog, Lucy. They become stranded in Oregon when their car breaks down, and she lacks the funds to repair it. The film stars Michelle Williams as Wendy, a homeless woman who searches for her lost dog, Lucy (played by Reichardt's own dog of that name, who had previously appeared in Old Joy.) Kelly Reichardt ’s Wendy and Lucy (2008) is a film in which locations and space play a pivotal role. Wendy and Lucy is an old-school indie portrait of a woman in a desperate situation. If those aren't the questions going through your head as you watch Wendy in the end then you have lived a privileged life and will never have to worry about being thrust into such a situation where you have to give up everything you have left in hopes of things getting better soon.In a recession, this film should be seen as a lesson of how to live and what to do when comes the moment where you lose everything that's ever meant anything and how to live and restart from there. Hungry, without friends, and almost penniless, Wendy will have to resort to desperate measures, only to come face to face with her worst fear. On the review aggregation site Rotten Tomatoes, the film holds an 85% approval rating among 183 critics, with a rating average of 7.4/10. After posting bail, Wendy cannot find Lucy, initiating a heartbreaking search for her beloved companion. We meet up with them in the park, observe their actions, then watch them leave. Already perilously close to losing everything, Wendy hits a bigger bump in the road when her old car breaks down and she is arrested for shoplifting dog food. Amy Biancolli THE HOUSTON CHRONICLE For those who fit within these margins will go see this movie and fail to grasp the understanding of how it is to be desperately broke and have nothing else to hold on to but a few scraps of memories, soiled clothes and your trusted dog to help prevail what's left of you dignity, happiness and sanity. Check out the full list of winners. Wendy and Lucy is a 2008 American drama film directed by Kelly Reichardt. A pair of teenage girls in rural Pennsylvania travel to New York City to seek out medical help after an unintended pregnancy. After a meeting with the store clerk and the manager, Wendy is apprehended and taken to the police station. Nowhere Wendy came from, nowhere she's going to, no plan except to get her car fixed and feed her dog. “Wendy and Lucy” is a work of self-conscious manipulation, in which Reichardt filters out the cinema’s subjectivity and personalism in order to intensify the viewer’s sympathy with a cipher. Lucy and Wendy is a friendship between Fairy Tail Mages, Lucy Heartfilia and Wendy Marvell. She hurries to the grocery store, but Lucy is gone. But there are also some who have been raised with everything handed to them and with easy opportunities. View production, box office, & company info. Settlers traveling through the Oregon desert in 1845 find themselves stranded in harsh conditions. Lucy is her only companion; Wendy’s love for her sustains them both. Two old pals reunite for a camping trip in Oregon's Cascade Mountains. For those with a sympathy toward the downtrodden we tend to feel a little sadness, maybe even a little guilt for not being able to help that person out more than we could. Wendy, a near-penniless drifter, is traveling to Alaska in search of work, and her only companion is her dog, Lucy. An experimental film matching shifting colors with audio taken from an NPR radio interview with a mother who lost her son in the Iraq War. A lonely shoe salesman and an eccentric performance artist struggle to connect in this unique take on contemporary life. Wendy and Lucy is like "Lassie Come Home" directed by Antonioni. If you've never truly suffered like the way Michelle Williams' character has then this movie will be lost on you. Even when Lucy's around — … Wendy and Lucy is a film starring Michelle Williams as Wendy, a young woman of limited means whose monetary misfortunes result in the agonizing severance of a friendship, and we the audience feel this pain along with Wendy. Try not to tear up! Over the summer, a series of unfortunate happening triggers a financial crisis for a young woman and she soon finds her life falling apart. When her car breaks down, and her dog is taken to the pound, the thin fabric of her financial situation comes apart, and she is led through a series of increasingly dire economic decisions. Reichardt and Jon Raymond adapted the screenplay from his short story Train Choir. WENDY AND LUCY had its world premiere at the 2008 Cannes Film Festival. A woman's life is derailed en route to a potentially lucrative summer job. Perhaps it's just the fact that Wendy and Lucy lacks the appeal of the new. But for those of you who've ever had to live in their car for a stretch clawing onto every dollar for dear life hoping to one day catch a break, then I must warn you that this movie will make you cry. That's why there is so much success in drugs and the media. Life is very complicated and it can't be wrapped up in a limited amount of time. STARRING. Wendy (Michelle Williams) arrives in a rusted-out Northwest mill town with only a handful of possessions to her name: a 20-year-old Honda, a few hundred dollars and a yellow lab named Lucy… Wendy and Lucy is one of those covertly powerful exercises in minimalism that form their drama from layers of fine sediment — accreting bit by bit, growing thicker and heavier with each speck of dialogue and drifting scene. Wendy and Lucy "Old Joy" helmer Kelly Reichardt plays to her strengths in "Wendy and Lucy," a modest yet deeply felt road movie about an idealistic young drifter. A deeply moving portrait of struggle, Kelly Reichardt’s WENDY AND LUCY is an emotionally intelligent testament to the transient nature of connection. This review will not summarize any key plot points nor try to pretentiously deconstruct the film in the air of a film school thesis, this review will put it to you as truthfully as the film has.I honestly feel that Wendy and Lucy shines a light on a part of America that is widely ignored; a part of America that's left behind by the faults and actions of The Bush Administration and those who feed off of greed and capitalism. You must be a registered user to use the IMDb rating plugin. Wendy should be praised for holding onto her convictions and not falling deeper through escapism. This review is coming from the perspective of a viewer in the exact same situation as Michelle Williams' character. For some it's impossible to do, but it's just as hard to watch. The open ending reveals to us that nothing is certain, but it certainly must be better than right now. [5], The film has received generally positive reviews from critics. Wendy And Lucy Synopsis: A woman's life is derailed en route to a potentially lucrative summer job. Reichardt cut for six months in her apartment in Queens, occasionally making trips back to Oregon to shoot additional footage. The movie follows what happens to her, and her pet dog Lucy, when her 1988 Honda Accord breaks down in a sleepy little town in Oregon. "Tallahatchie Bridge": With those two simple words, the powerful images of a lost innocence, a murky river and a mysterious suicide spring to mind. Check out some of our favorite child stars from movies and television. See the fabulous presenters and gracious winners at this year's Oscars. Soon the two collaborate on a successful business. "What am I gonna do" "Where will I sleep tonight and will it be a safe spot?" After many failed efforts to track Lucy down, with the help of a security guard, she discovers that Lucy has been taken to a dog pound and rehomed. Directed by Kelly Reichardt. A skilled cook has traveled west and joined a group of fur trappers in Oregon, though he only finds true connection with a Chinese immigrant also seeking his fortune. Already perilously close to losing everything, Wendy hits a bigger bump in the road when her old car breaks down and she is arrested for shoplifting dog food. There is no timetable here. Kelly Reichardt. R. Drama. Lucy is the director's own dog, and her co-starring role means that Wendy and Lucy has less human interaction than its predecessor. When she posts bail and returns to retrieve Lucy, she finds that the dog is gone, prompting a frantic search for her pet. But when her car breaks down in Oregon, everything unravels. Wendy Carroll (Michelle Williams) is driving to Ketchikan, Alaska, in hopes of a summer of lucrative work at the Northwestern Fish cannery, and the start of a new life with her dog, Lucy. And there's is absolutely no problem with that. Starring Michelle Wiliam Wendy and Lucy is the latest film from director Kelly Reichardt (Old Joy). Intensely personal and introspective, it is an example of what some have hailed as the “new American realism”—territory explored by Gus Van Sant, among others. In UK cinemas from March 6th. By the end of its run, Wendy and Lucy grossed $865,695 domestically and $326,960 internationally for a worldwide total of $1,192,655. "Where to go next?" 139 of 185 people found this review helpful. A vibrant and sharply funny portrait of an artist on the verge of a career-changing exhibition. The movie is based on a short story by Jon Raymond (Scott, 2008). Wendy and Lucy is a 2008 American drama film directed by Kelly Reichardt. Bridging the Gender Gap: Best Films from Women Directors, NY Times: 25 Best Movies of the 21st Century. Looking for more? Wendy and Lucy is clearly aimed at the art-house crowd. Her determination to care for Lucy gets Wendy into the jam that slowly unravels her precarious mobile stability. You may relate more with the clerk in the supermarket. Sometime you even have to let go of the things you love the most if you even want things to get better. After paying a fine, Wendy is released from police custody. Wendy Carroll is driving to Ketchikan, Alaska, in hopes of a summer of lucrative work at the Northwestern Fish cannery, and the start of a new life with her dog, Lucy. Wendy and Lucy, Reichardt's follow-up, is very nearly as good as her last, except for some X-factor that I haven't yet been able to name. A young woman, Wendy Carroll, is traveling to Alaska with her dog Lucy, where she hopes to find work at a cannery. Three radical environmentalists look to execute the protest of their lives: the explosion of a hydroelectric dam. Of course every decision you make isn't the smartest one, but when you're desperate and have no other choice then you have to do whatever it takes to survive, even if that risks you a day in jail.We observe Wendy and Lucy from a voyeuristic standpoint. What's piercing about it, and also disturbing, is that Reichardt views the renunciation of society with something close to righteous purity -- as a lefty romantic dream. It had its world premiere at the 2008 Cannes Film Festivaland was screened at several additional film festivals before receiving a limited theatrical release in the United St… This is not an escapist film, for escapism is for people who can't cope with their own realities. Title: [6] Directed by Kelly Reichardt. [7], 12th Toronto Film Critics Association Awards, Learn how and when to remove this template message, Dallas–Fort Worth Film Critics Association Awards 2008, Toronto Film Critics Association Awards 2008, "Questions for Kelly Reichardt: Social Realist", https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=iabbvybeb_k, "Toronto Film Critics choose indie over Hollywood", Toronto Film Critics Association Award for Best Film, https://en.wikipedia.org/w/index.php?title=Wendy_and_Lucy&oldid=1006047341, Articles needing additional references from February 2021, All articles needing additional references, Creative Commons Attribution-ShareAlike License, EDA Female Focus Award, Best Director for, EDA Female Focus Award, Best Screenwriter for, This page was last edited on 10 February 2021, at 19:18. The lives of three women intersect in small-town America, where each is imperfectly blazing a trail. For Wendy, the drive to Ketchikan, Alaska, was meant to be the start of a new life. (2008). When her car breaks down, and her dog is taken to the pound, the thin fabric of her financial situation comes apart, and she is led through a series of increasingly dire economic decisions. WENDY AND LUCY was made for $300,000. A woman's life is derailed en route to a potentially lucrative summer job. Dreaming of the cold Alaskan landscapes and a better future, young Wendy Carroll and her dog, Lucy, become stranded in a small Oregon town, when her old, rusty, and decrepit car breaks down. The film centers on Wendy (Michelle Williams), a young woman who navigates unfamiliar spaces over the course of the film, after her car breaks down in Oregon. The most expressive, most heartbreaking moment in “Wendy and Lucy” involves a small sum of money changing hands, a gesture that encapsulates both … Wendy and Lucy (164) 7.1 1 h 20 min 2008 R Wendy Carroll is driving to Ketchikan, Alaska, in hopes of a summer of lucrative work at the Northwestern Fish cannery, and the start of a new life with her dog, Lucy. A drink turns into a home break-in, and a gun shot sends them on the run together, thinking they've committed murder. Michelle Williams. Wendy and Lucy April 6, 2017 "Don’t be a nuisance. When Wendy visits the mechanic to pick up her car, she learns her engine needs to be rebuilt, which would exceed the car's worth. She tearfully promises to return and departs on a Northbound train. Keep track of everything you watch; tell your friends. Wendy, a near-penniless drifter, is traveling to Alaska in search of work, and her only companion is her dog, Lucy. As she navigates family, friends, and colleagues in the lead up to her show, the chaos of life becomes the inspiration for great art. Get a sneak peek of the new version of this page. They look at people like Wendy and Lucy as a stupid bum who can't get it together, without ever realizing that not everyone has it as easy as they did.I have no idea how to end this review, but I just thought I'd write it as a bit of a rebuttal to all those who have completely missed the point of the main character and her actions which have led the movie to it's conclusion. Was this review helpful to you? The mixed-breed dog is valiant and faithful, thrilled to chase the sticks Wendy throws and patient as Wendy goes about her human tasks. A high point of Reichardt’s career, Wendy and Lucy also stands as a defining work of the neo-realist filmmaking that transformed American independent cinema in the early 2000s. Wendy Carroll (Michelle Williams) is driving to Alaska in hopes of a summer of lucrative work at the Northwestern Fish cannery, and the start of a new life with her dog, Lucy. Written by ‘Mayday’ Director Karen Cinorre on ‘New Openness’ for Female-Centric Movies, Michelle Williams to Reunite with Todd Haynes for Peggy Lee Biopic ‘Fever’, Michelle Williams To Play Peggy Lee In Todd Haynes Directed Biopic ‘Fever’; MGM In Talks To Acquire, Billie Eilish In Early Discussions To Exec Produce. Kelly Reichardt has been called a minimalist film director, and if you’re comparing her to someone like Michael Bay or Steven Spielberg or the Hughes brothers, that certainly seems to be the case, at least based on her 2008 film Wendy and Lucy. Cozy, a dissatisfied housewife, meets Lee at a bar. Reichardt and Jon Raymond adapted the screenplay from his short story Train Choir. Wendy (Michelle Williams) and Lucy (a dog by the same name, owned by the director) are the protagonists of the road movie Wendy and Lucy. Ok, go ahead let it all out. As I will describe below, there is radical potential to the political mobilization of affect. Walter Dalton. Want to share IMDb's rating on your own site? The site's consensus reads "Michelle Williams gives a heartbreaking performance in Wendy and Lucy, a timely portrait of loneliness and struggle". When her car breaks down in Oregon, however, the thin fabric of her financial situation comes apart, and she confronts a series of increasingly dire economic decisions, with far-ranging repercussions for herself and Lucy. The presence, and sudden absence, of Wendy’s dog, Lucy—Reichardt’s own beloved pet—becomes a poignant test of Wendy’s resolve. DIRECTOR. Abandoning her car and nearly penniless, Wendy goes to the home where Lucy lives. With Michelle Williams, Lucy, David Koppell, Max Clement. Anonymous. 1 hr 20 min. 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