Two very different yet powerful performances dominated Saturday night at the New York Film Festival. The two films though, almost dealt with the same themes of loneliness and the cold hearted world that surrounds us. And while I think people will find Mike Leigh’s Happy-Go-Lucky a film that is much easier at digest, that is not to say Kelly Reichardt’s Wendy and Lucy is inaccessible.

Leigh has been around for a while, making often brutal dramas like Vera Drake and Secrets & Lies. Maybe that’s why his new film is such a surprise. I wouldn’t necessarily classify Happy-Go-Lucky as a comedy, but it has plenty of funny moments, most provided by the charm and wit of newcomer Sally Hawkins. Hawkins plays Poppy, a charming and apparently care-free Londoner who always looks on the bright side of life. Like Leigh’s other films, there isn’t so much of a plot as there is a set of episodes strung together. And the style works, and lets Hawkins shine. We see Poppy interact with family, friends, and people who just can’t seem to get her. And slowly but surely, we get an understanding of how a person like this could exist in such a cold world. Poppy is Poppy because she refuses to play the status quo, and is stronger because of it. She may have many of the same problems, but her simple twist on life makes it so much easier. The film is set on Hawkins, who couldn’t be more lovable or enjoyable to watch. Hawkins has often played caricature in some of her minor roles, but she gives Poppy a full breathing life. She is never playing at something—She is Poppy and we believe it. Sure some of the smaller episodes don’t work here or there, but overall this is a beautiful and fun film that even though is serious in content, is witty and cute in tone.

To contrast Hawkins to the performance of Michelle Williams (Brokeback Mountain) in Wendy and Lucy could be easily said in one way—while Hawkins explodes on screen, Williams internalizes. That is not to say one is better than the other. Williams is absolutely devastating is Kelly Reichardt’s follow up to Old Joy, entitled Wendy and Lucy. Williams is Wendy, while Lucy is her dog. She’s on her way to Alaska (pre-Palin times), short on cash, and only with one friend—good ol’ Lucy. So when she ends up in an Oregon town and Lucy goes missing, Wendy is lost. She finds no help from anyone, and is devastated and all alone. When Reichadt came out after the film for a discussion, she posed this question: How much are we obliged to help one another? Its a simple question, but an important one as well that drives this film. Reichardt and co-writer Jonathan Raymond paint such a cold and brutal world for Wendy in small town America. Its a tough world which only few are willing to help. And her devastation is ours, as we can’t seem to find a helping hand anywhere. Williams is of course the driving key to this film—its a minimalist performance that feels so real and so stricken that it is tough to watch on screen (huge kudos as well to supporting players Wally Dalton and Will Patton). When the film reaches its conclusion—we are only left to sit in awe about our own world and how us at the top never make it easier for those on the bottom. If we who sit so high think our economic crisis is bad, think about those who scrounge from day to day. That’s real pain—and Reichardt as communicated it so beautifully in this film.

Happy-Go-Lucky is set for release on October 10th from Miramax Pictures
Wendy and Lucy will be released December 10th from Oscilloscope Pictures

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