Movie Review: Wendy & Lucy

Yesterday I decided to see the movie Wendy & Lucy at the Carlton Cinema in Toronto by myself.

 At first I thought it would be weird to see a movie by myself but then I got over my initial anxiety.

 The Carlton is an independent movie theatre in Toronto and the movies selections tends to be very obscure and off beat films that don’t have  mainstream appeal or exposure. 

Michelle Williams is the star of the movie she is Wendy and her dog is Lucy. Williams’s character Wendy is travelling to Alaska for a bettter job  but she’s stuck in Oregon due to car trouble. I felt Williams acting was very good but plot was very simple and moves at a slow pace. Wendy is poor, depressed, and homeless.

Wendy decides to steal some  dog food from the local Jack’s supermarket because she doesn’t want Lucy to be hungry. However, Wendy is caught by an employee at the supermarket and she ends up in jail. Meanwhile, Lucy has been removed from the supermarket and after Wendy is released from jail she frantically searches for her dog. When Wendy calls for her dog “Lucy! Lucy!” it is so heartbreaking and sad.

The rest of the movie explores the issues of poverty, desperation, unhappiness, and despair. The movie also deals with topics such as social isolation, grief, and the prejudice homeless people experience in society. Wendy searches across town frantically for Lucy she loves Lucy so much.

Wendy starts a new friendship with a  kind senior citizen he is also a  security guard. At first I thought the elderly man was going to attempt to take advantage of Wendy but he doesn’t. The security guard is like a “father figure” to Wendy he allows Wendy to use his cell phone to call the local pound.

The local dog pound informs Wendy that Lucy has been moved to a foster home. Wendy takes a taxi to the foster home and she is reunited with Lucy. I won’t spoil the ending but the ending is the best part of the movie. I was very surprised at the ending it demonstrates that Wendy loves Lucy so much she wants a better life for her dog. Wendy’s love for Lucy is unconditional the movie is very good.