'Wendy & Lucy' interesting, but painfully slow

Director: Kelly Reichartd

Cast: Michelle Williams, Will Patton, Will Oldham

Wendy – the excellent Williams – is heading to a summer job in Alaska but gets into a lot of trouble when she stops off in a deadbeat, going-nowhere town in Oregon, ends up in jail after stealing some dog food for Lucy, her four-footed and only close companion and goes looking for the mutt.

The film, slow-paced to the point of dead stop, is about Wendy’s search for Lucy and the choices the search presents.

While it is a strongly character-driven film – there is hardly any plot and even less actual action – it does pose interesting questions about the couldn’t-care-less people who find themselves stuck in Zilchville communities with no hope of escape.

Too often, though, such questions are never given serious consideration.

Star Rating: 3.5