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Wendy and Lucy is easily one of the best American theatrical releases of the year. Honestly, this movie is utterly incredible.

The story begins with a young girl, a vagabond, walking through the woods to find a group of fellow travelers. The film serves as a glimpse into the life of an American run-away, without a means to provide for herself, the wisdom to navigate the world she inhabits, or people to help her in her journey.

Immediately the film hits on the bond between the girl, Wendy, and her dog, Lucy. The dog serves as more than a companion, the dog is in a way her guide and later in the film it’s obvious that Lucy is there to protect Wendy. Wendy depends on Lucy to instruct her in the nomadic lifestyle she leads.

One of the main themes of the film is how one not acclimated to the rules of society can easily fall victim to those rules. Wendy’s life is thrown into complete upheaval because of a minor in-fracture that causes the delicate balance of her life to spiral out of control.

The film itself is in no way “up-lifting”, honestly. It’s a hard pill to swallow, because of it’s brutal honesty. As human life is forced into a new shape some people and places are left out in the cold, to fend for themselves. To hunt and scavenge for whatever resources they can get a hold on. In one scene, Will Patton is shown taking advantage of Wendy. Though one would find it difficult to really nail the guy to wall for it, he clearly has only his best intrests in mind.

Who could fault him for it? As the belts get tighter around the world and the economy does a nose dive, everyones left to fend for themselves. In a way, I feel doomed to look back on this film as being prophetic. In the same way the director, Kelly Reichardt, moved me with Old Joy a year ago and resonated with a very specific time in place in everyones life, this film is destined to be looked back upon with a slight pain in the stomach. We all see it coming, and Wendy and Lucy puts a face on it.

That really is what this film does best, personifies a time and place in our country. We all, to a certain extent, feel a little lost, with limited resources and a humble goal ahead of us. A new life promised if we can just sustain the pains of now for long enough and not lose track of our goal.

Michelle Williams as Wendy is simply heart wrenching. her performance is top notch, delivering a torrent of emotions that will certainly get her plenty of attention as a truly remarkable actress.

The end of this film was heart breaking, but you’ll see it coming. It won’t set in until the drive home, but when you realize the importance of Lucy in Wendy’s life, you’ll understand her sacrifice.

Wendy and lucy is currently playing at the Angelika in Dallas, and don’t waste any time seeeing it. It won’t be around much longer.