I really liked this movie--barely--but I would not expect a lot of other people to like it. Wendy and Lucy (2008), the story of a young woman and her dog, is unlikely to have much of an impact on your average movie goer. The plot provides little excitement: As one blogger cried, who wants to spend an hour and half watching some girl look for her bleepin’ dog!? Rather strangely, the central character does not provide much excitement either. We do not know who she is, what she has done, why she left Indiana or Illinois—we know zilch about her background aside from a depressing phone call she makes to her dismissive sister and brother-in-law. Nor does Wendy grow in any way that traditionally interests viewers.
Yet for some people--including me--this slow-paced picture about not much can pack a powerful punch. Unlike the many films which pander to their audience, this film does not reach out to you--you have to reach out to it. You have to find some way to identify with the lost young woman. Have you been alone and poor? I remember arriving in Adelaide at 6:00 in the morning with 20 cents to my name and wondering if I should steal a morning paper to find out what was going on in town. Have you been a vulnerable young female accosted? No, but I remember riding an old train where a young punk came into my compartment so many times I thought it best to pull out my switchblade to cut my cheese and bread.
For this movie, it also helps if you love dogs. It would help if you had one who dearly loved to fetch a stick. For the ending to have its full power, I think you have to appreciate ahead of time the powerful bond that can exist between person and dog. But also, as your heart is breaking, you have to figure out quickly what the film was all about. I was left asking, “What was the purpose of that film?” Five minutes later as I searched the web, it hit me. Without giving away the story, I’d say the film is about poverty and the fine line between being a member of society with an address and money and being down and out and off the grid. Director Kelly Reichardt said in an interview with Spout that the movie did not have a point but certainly had a question: “Are we related and do we owe each other anything? . . . Are we supposed to do anything for each other, or is it every man for himself?”
But even if you do figure out the purpose of the film, you may not have sympathy for the young woman. Why’d she shoplift when she had enough money to buy dog food? That’s were all the trouble started. Similarly, you might make short shrift of the director’s question. Of course we are supposed to do things for each other, and this girl probably had lots of help in the past and she got a reasonable amount of help in the present. What more can you expect? But a small number of people, including me, feel terrible for the young woman and would love to help.