Michelle Williams in "Wendy and Lucy"

In March, I posted a blog called “Star Worship: Brilliant Women Performances In Movies.” After watching the DVD of the film “Wendy and Lucy” this weekend, I may be adding the performance of Michelle Williams to that list. In this tiny, sparse film about the forgotten wanderers, desperate and longing for a sense of home, Michelle Williams gives a heart-wrenching performance as Wendy. Wendy is a drifter stuck in Oregon on her way to Alaska to find work. Her sole companion is her dog Lucy. Wendy and Lucy encounter obstacle after obstacle and when Lucy disappears, it’s Michelle’s devastating performance as Wendy that illuminates a girl who’s lost everything. Her quiet, maddening desperation to find Lucy is heart-stopping. I literally wanted to break down and cry while watching this film. There are few young actresses with Michelle’s brilliance as an actress. She plays Wendy with so much heart and depth; her eyes expressing an eternal aching sadness. It doesn’t matter that we know nothing of Wendy’s back-story—who she is and how she ended up the way she did—it doesn’t matter. Michelle gives Wendy everything we need: a young woman--damaged, breaking yet somehow not yet broken.