February 11, 2009 -- This is a film that tells the whole story of being broke in America in a short, deceptively simple tale, with very few characters and very little dialog. Most of the story is told through images. Unfortunately, it is also agonizingly slow-moving and it has a bare-bones plot in which nothing much happens. It is the kind of story that many critics admire, but audiences will feel cheated if they have to shell out $10 to see this sleep-inducing bore.

Wendy (Michelle Williams of “Brokeback Mountain”) and her dog Lucy are on their way to Alaska when the car breaks down in Oregon (the movie was filmed in Portland). With only $500 to complete her journey, Wendy can't afford to stay in a motel and finds herself in danger when sleeping in a secluded, wooded area. She has a terrifying encounter with a crazed homeless person. It turns out she can't afford to fix her car, either. The mechanic who looks at it (played by Will Patton of “A Mighty Heart”) is honest. He tells her it would cost more to fix the car than the car is worth. In any case, the repair costs exceed the amount of money she has. She gets caught stealing dog food for Lucy and has to pay a $50 fine. Lucy disappears while Wendy is in police custody. Wendy frantically searchers for Lucy even while her life is falling apart around her.

Persecuted by the self-righteous, but also helped by the kindness of a security guard (played by Wally Dalton) she is sinking fast and soon may be both destitute and homeless. The story illustrates how quickly one can fall from the middle to the very bottom of society. It also shows how even decent Americans tend to view the homeless as people entirely separate from, and inferior to, themselves. Others show empathy and try to help, like the security guard, the mechanic and an animal shelter employee (Ayanna Berkshire).

This movie is very timely considering the terrible state of the economy. Despite its deceptively simple story, it manages to convey a great deal about the economy and the current state of the American culture. Despite the fact that the Christian Right embraces the Bible, they seem to ignore the hundreds of Bible passages which instruct the faithful to be kind to the poor and help them, and that is shown in this film. The Christian Right disapproves of evolution on the one hand, but fully embraces social Darwinism on the other hand. With its depiction of hobos camping near a train yard, it is also reminiscent of the Great Depression. The difference between the current economic crisis and the Great Depression is that during the Depression, everyone was in the same boat and people helped each other. In this recession, lots of people still have their own boats and they are busy trying to keep the drowning people out of their boats by hitting them on the head with oars. It would have been interesting to see the reaction of these people to Wendy's plight if she had been Hispanic instead of white. The pace of the film is excruciatingly slow at first, but eventually, it gets traction. This film rates a C.

Click here for links to places to buy or rent this movie in video and/or DVD format, or to buy the soundtrack, posters, books, even used videos, games, electronics and lots of other stuff. I suggest you shop at least two of these places before buying anything. Prices seem to vary continuously. For more information on this film, click on this link to The Internet Movie Database. Type in the name of the movie in the search box and press enter. You will be able to find background information on the film, the actors, and links to much more information.

Copyright © 2009 Robert Roten. All rights reserved.
Reproduced with the permission of the copyright holder.

Robert Roten can be reached via e-mail at .