Wanda is like an abandoned stray dog.

Absolutely tremendous film written, directed and starring Barbara Loden, and on the face of this film, we were robbed of a huge talent, as she died in her early 40s. Wanda is a confused and troubled woman who goes on a road trip of sorts, when she leaves her husband and children. We follow her get into scrapes as she's penniless and homeless. Part of me wonders whether John Casavettes saw this film and ran with some ideas for it for 'A Woman Under the Influence' as bits are similar. One of the greatest 60s/70s independent American films I have seen. 9.5/10

Wanda is a wanderer. Maybe not by choice, but by having no purpose nor meaning in life. Shades of Breathless, but with more of an empty female character whom accepts and endures what life throws her way. Meanwhile, you can see how it takes a toll on her psyche as she devolves further and further into loss and despair.

Wanda is like an abandoned stray dog.

Ehh, I don't know about this one. Liked it in theory, but maybe not so much in execution, primarily because it felt hard to get a read on what Loden was going for in the acting department. There's a lot going on there, and I struggled to connect the performance to the larger thematic concerns for the movie.