Metro Cinema Society: Old Joy

Old Joy

USA 2006, 76 min, 35mm, Dir: Kelly Reichner

Beautifully nuanced and faultlessly directed, Old Joy is a minimalist study of friendship and the passage of time, in which atmosphere dominates action, and silences speak louder than words. Mark (Daniel London) settled in Portland and expecting his first child, takes a call from his old friend Kurt (singer/songwriter Will Oldham, of Palace, Bonnie 'Prince' Billy), still very much the unencumbered drifter. The pair haven't seen each other for some time, but team up for a camping trip to Oregon's Cascade Mountains. Driving out of town, post-industrial urban landscape gives way to greenbelt as the men catch up. Travelling deeper into the woods, in search of the hot springs which are their apparent destination, they quietly struggle to re-establish common ground. Uncertainty and awkwardness are never far from the surface, as we're made aware that not only their friendship but the world at large has changed. Reichardt's skill as a director extends to her choice of collaborators (including musicians Yo La Tengo and cinematographer Peter Sillen), but it is undeniably her hand firmly at the helm of this gentle study of masculinity in modern America. (Sandra Hebron, London FF)

"Quietly gripping. Rapturously received at festivals. It visualizes an enormously moving Eden that can't last forever. Reichardt's thorough examination of men's bonds will resonate long after you leave the forest." (Time Out NY)