Wendy and Lucy (2008)
A girl (Michelle Williams) with nothing to her name besides a no-good car and a faithful dog must travel from Oregon to Alaska to find work. Director KellyReichardt (Old Joy) says more about the precariousness of life on America's margins than any politician will ever pretend to understand. And in a career defined by her subtle, pained grace, Williams delivers her most heartrending work yet. Karen Valby