Michelle Williams is Brilliantly Understated in WENDY and LUCY--Opens Feb. 6th in Toronto, Feb. 13th in Vancouver

If you listen to my show on a regular basis then you know I am not a fan of the film Rachel Getting Married nor Anne Hathaway's showy performance as a recovering drug addict. Hathaway has received an Academy Award nomination for in the Lead Actress category, but I feel that Michelle Williams should have been the one nominated. Williams is absolutely flawless in Wendy and Lucy, the story of a young woman who's car breaks down on her way to Alaska. Stuck in a small Oregon town until her car is repaired, Wendy (Williams) and her dog Lucy cope with hunger and dwindling funds as they interact with a few of the town's citizens--some nicer than others.

Director, Kelly Reichardt documents Wendy and Lucy's situation in a minimalist, realistic manner that relies heavily on Williams, whose style of acting appears effortless. I tried to look for the "acting" but I never once saw it (even in documentaries the subjects can sometimes seem too aware of the camera).


Filmmakers of the silent era would have loved to have Williams' face in their lens. Her eyes break your heart and you sit in the theatre trying to project courage her way. Of course, you're not able to help her, but you can't help trying to channel her some good fortune--that's what Williams' performance evokes in those of us who appreciate this type of filmmaking.

I also enjoyed the small supporting cast, especially actor Walter Dalton, who plays a store security guard. It is Dalton's character with whom Williams shares the most screen time, and it is through him that we learn that the town is experiencing an economic downturn.

This is not a film that has wide appeal. Not everyone can sit through a film that plays like a silent film and is about one particular moment in someone's life. Those who like their films complete with explanations will also not ejoy filling in the deliberate gaps in the plot. We hear Wendy's sister through a pay telephone, but we never see her and we have to fill in the blanks of what their relationship is like and why Wendy would go all the way to Alaska at the prospect of a job.

She won't get an Oscar (she was nominated for Broke Back Mountain), but Michelle Williams did win the Toronto Film Critics Association's award for Best Actress and Wendy and Lucy garnered the Best Picture honour. The TFCA also gave awards to Rachel Getting Married. If you have seen both pictures please post a comment.

New Year's Day Couch Viewing

Looking for a break from the hectic holidays? Why not try out a couple of these DVDs?

I am very happy to know that Charles Officer's first feature film, NURSE.FIGHTER.BOY. is sometimes not available at my local mainstream video rental store. The fact that is is renting means that more people than the usual art house or Canadian film film lover (like me) are taking a chance on this wonderful love story. See my review.

I'VE LOVED YOU FOR SO LONG(Il y a longtemps que je t'aime) with Kristen Scott Thomas. One of my faves from 2008 about two sisters reuniting after many years. Don't read "chick flick" just because it's about sisters. The movie is paced like a mystery. In French with English subtitles. See my review.

IT'S NOT ME, I SWEAR! Didn't you or a kid you know utter these words when you were a kid? Yes, another French one, but this time from Québec about a young boy dealing with his parents divorce. Heartbreaking and funny at the same time. French with English subtitles. By the way, if your kid likes to get into mischief, I would suggest you don't let them in the room when you watch this--they may get ideas.See my review.

She was overlooked at the Oscars this year, but I think Michelle Williams was simply exquisite in WENDY AND LUCY. This is more than just the story of a woman and her dog--Lassie, it ain't. See my review.

I'm reaching way into the past (1987) for this little gem, but it was time to pull this one out of the cobwebs and dust it off. The film is BAGDAD CAFE. Set in the California desert, the dusty, dry landscape makes you want to cough as you watch the fascinating story about Jasmin (Marianne Sagebrecht), a German tourist who leaves her husband and walks with her suitcase to the cafe. There Jasmin encounters, CCH Pounder's character, Brenda, whose own marital situation is none too bright and whose world is in chaos. Magical, with a haunting refrain, this film will draw you in without you knowing you're being pulled. (I don't know when the film's title was changed to Out of Rosenheim, but the name change makes no sense to me or to the story.)