Vittorio De Sica, the leading figure of Italian Neorealist movement, in 1952 made one of his masterpiece feature-films “Umberto D”, which was about an old government pensioner, dwelling in a cheap room with his dog, in post-war impoverished Italy. The film impeccably focused on the everyday reality of a person hanging on the edges of a society that could be indifferent, cruel as well as humane. American indie film-maker Kelly Reichardt’s“Wendy and Lucy” (2008), adapted from Jonathan Raymond’s short story, seems like the descendant of that timeless movie. Although “Wendy and Lucy” couldn’t be classified as the most outstanding work like De Sica’s film, it perfectly works as a resonant, little mood piece which isn’t burdened with a plot.
If you are intent on watching movies based only on story
line, then Reichardt’s film could be described like this: Wendy (Michelle Williams), a young drifter with her dog Lucy, sets out to Alaska in her car. En
route in Oregon, the car breaks down and the dog gets lost, and so the young
girl spends her time rooting out those problems. Some may guffaw at the plot
and some may think that nothing much happens in the movie. But, I felt that “Wendy
and Lucy” is one of the well-crafted indie films in recent times that crisply
observe the reality of small cruelties and fleeting kindness. We could read in
plenty of socioeconomic and political perspective from the film (it was
especially made during financial destitute period of our generation), but the
moving aspect here is the well grounded humane perspective. Humans’ basic need
for love and connection is absolutely condensed into the narrative’s social
commentaries and it is all done, without a single frame of manipulative
melodrama.
Director Kelly Reichardt first gained festival circuit
attention for her 2006 low-key, camping trip movie “Old Joy” (although my
favorite of Reichardt’s work is “Meek’s Cutoff” (2010), an enigmatic
anti-western). Reichardt, with her minimal imagery always focuses on the little
things, which gradually forms into bits to what we call as ‘life’. Rather than
driving us towards a set of emotions, she is more content to let us find our
own way through the nuanced characterizations. By stripping dramatic
high-points from the plot, director Reichardt makes us to look beyond what’s
happening on-screen and to relate with the sense of place and subsequent human
interactions. The lack of striking emotional quality in the film may easily make
us to categorize it as ‘art film’, which many would relate with words ‘boring’
and ‘slow-moving’. However, I took in all these little moments “Wendy and Lucy”
and it all left me with a great emotional weight. I felt compassion, coldness
and yearning without the director and writer blatantly trying to make me feel
those emotions.
The defeat and desperation that came with the economic
downturn is subtly ingrained in Reichadt’s visuals: can-collecting homeless; brain-sick wanderers; train-hopping exuberant youngsters; and marginally
employed old men capture the range of suffering and humiliation. The frames are
fixed and keenly take in small and telling details. The meticulously maintained
expense notebook, fogged mirror of the rest-room, the smug store clerk picked
up by his parents, the ‘all-is-business’ attitude of mechanic shop owner
patiently indicates at the humanity or the lack of it, around Wendy. And, as in
classic neo-realist tradition, “Wendy and Lucy” becomes rich in character and
mood because of the central performance. The profound level of nuance, Michelle
Williams exhibit may not have brought her any big awards, but the way she
downplays the emotions of frustration and despair works more like a fascinating
poem rather than being outwardly persuasive. She never asks for our pity; she isn’t
the hard-minded, philosophical person like Christopher McCandless in “Into the
Wild” (2007), but as Williams tip-toes around all of Wendy’s tribulations, she
gains our empathy as well as respect. That doesn’t mean that Wendy is
championed in this narrative. We also learn about her estrangement (with
sister) and left to think about the foremost little flaw (which sets up the entire catastrophe). The other genial, understated performance
comes from Wally Dalton as the security guard.
“Wendy and Lucy” (80 minutes) is a beautiful, heart-breaking
film that goes for profound emotions and conscientious details rather than
taking the easy way of sentimentality. Wendy doesn’t do much, but what she goes
through gave me an ultimately rewarding experience.
Trailer
No comments:
Post a Comment