ohmidog!

Michele Willliams is said to give a stunning performance in this movie of a girl and her dog — one that’s otherwise getting mixed reviews.

Depressing and, to those seeking escape, maybe a little too accurate a reflection of our times, “Wendy and Lucy” is about a woman whose life is derailed en route to a summer job. Her car breaks down, her dog is taken to the pound, and her financial situation turns dire.

Made for less than $500,000, and filmed in 18 days in August 2007 in and around Portland, Oregon, “Wendy and Lucy” premiered in May at the Cannes film festival where Lucy, director Kelly Reichardt’s own pet, won the unofficial “Palm Dog prize” for her role.

Reichardt wrote the screenplay with Jon Raymond, who she also worked with on her 2006 film “Old Joy.”

Reichardt, in a Reuters interview, said she wanted to make a film about people who fall through the cracks, and delve into a couple of myths.

For one, the idea you can ”go West and improve your situation.”

For another, the idea that, whatever your situation, you can pull yourself up by your bootstraps — “that if you have spunk and ideas and initiative, that’s all you need to improve your lot in life, and if you aren’t able to pull yourself out of poverty it’s clearly because you are lazy.”