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(A short review, but I figured it was worth starting a thread for this very worthwhile film.)
Wendy and Lucy (2008) was released a couple of months after the recession began to hit the US, and it is a portrayal of life on the socioeconomic edge.
WARNING: "Spoilers" spoilers below
When hanging on by a shoestring, even the most incidental of unexpected events, of expenses, can cut a person loose from her fragile moorings, and we watch helplessly - despite our hope that things will somehow turn around - as this happens to Wendy, deftly played by Michelle Williams.
It is impossible not to compare Wendy and Lucy to stories from the Great Depression like The Grapes of Wrath. While both tales are beset with hardship, Wendy's plight seems far more desolate. The Joads began their journey to the Mecca of the west as a family, surrounded by other families; Wendy sets out for Alaska with only her dog Lucy. At one point she makes contact with her sister by payphone - it's clear there's nobody for her to turn to.
It is impossible not to compare Wendy and Lucy to stories from the Great Depression like The Grapes of Wrath. While both tales are beset with hardship, Wendy's plight seems far more desolate. The Joads began their journey to the Mecca of the west as a family, surrounded by other families; Wendy sets out for Alaska with only her dog Lucy. At one point she makes contact with her sister by payphone - it's clear there's nobody for her to turn to.
Emphasizing Wendy's desolation, there is very little dialogue in the film. Practically everyone she encounters is scraping by hand to mouth. There is no musical score to fill in the emptiness, only the sounds of passing traffic or a train.
8/10
