Old Joy

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  March 25, 2009

  Cinema101

  9/10
  
  What a deeply touching film this is! A movie about the refreshing nature of our youth, as well as male camaraderie and the eventual separation between friends (and that's just one of its many themes), Kelly Reichardt's Old Joy is one of the most tragic films of the year as ...( read more)well as one of the best. A film that definitely stays with you, with a powerful thought provoking message that's surprising for a film lasting a mere 76 minutes.
  
  Such a timely film, Old Joy is the story of two men who at one point were more than friends, overly-close "bonding men" of sorts, but now have grown apart; one of them choosing a more stable/traditional married life (and expecting a child) while the other continuing with the hippy, carefree ways of his youth. As they go on a road trip in search of a more scenic destination, the subtle tension between the two steadily increases leading to more than a couple thought provoking conversations amongst the two friends, as well as a stunning climax of great restraint and depth. Perhaps the film is more geared towards men, but it's themes of separation in a bitter, indifference-promoting world, and later themes of helpless alienation are universal.
  
  
  
  Now, this is not a movie for everyone! This is a very minimalist, if not flat out slow, film along the lines of Malick or Antonioni. And as with many of those directors' films, most of the audience in my theater was restless throughout, laughing as they left the auditorium in bewilderment. I've said it before and I'll say it again: these people just don't get it! They're too accustomed to today's overly explanatory films that when they're forced to do a bit of the work themselves they're lost and don't know how to "read" the film (movies are a form of literature after all), thus labeling it a boring or pointless exercise. And so the lazy cinema from Hollywood today has once again ruined new and inspired cinema for the masses. . . sigh . . .
  
  If you enjoyed last year's masterpiece The New World, or any other such "slow" films, then Old Joy is definitely the 2006 indie release for you.

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  February 21, 2009

  her69eyes

  "Old Joy" is a film that you love or you don't, and you can pretty well assess that before you even watch it. If you like slow character-driven dramas, this is your Shangri-La. If you demand a more meaty plot, however, you'll have torn your eyes out by the end of it. Afterall, th...( read more)is is a film about two guys who go to the woods and take a bath.
  
  What makes it such a pleasant departure from the norm, however, is both Reichardt's uncanny eye for observation and the film's immensely elaborate yet somehow accessible and "simple" characters. We never get to know these two men all that well, and there's no big moment of discovery and growth for either of them. They simply "be", and through their state of existing together, something larger is derived. It seems simple, and "Old Joy" is certainly minimalist, but it also deals with a friendship more complex than most others you see on film. "Old Joy" is a small overlooked gem that certainly places Kelly Reichardt on the same level as other recent breakout naturalist filmmakers like Ramin Bahrani and Cristian Mungiu.
  
  "Old Joy" is about a pair of friends who have drifted apart. There's Kurt (Will Oldham), the balding and bearded stoner who presents his theory that the universe is a falling teardrop, and Mark (Daniel London), who we presume used to be just as wild as Kurt until he married. Now that Mark is set to be a father, he's finally settled into adulthood. However, when Kurt appears at his door and presents the idea of camping in the mountains, Mark agrees and makes an effort to retain some of their former friendship and enjoy a weekend together.
  
  Reichardt hints that they may have had a sexual past together, but the beauty of the film is that it's up to us. There's a scene that'll definitely make some viewers perceive the relationship differently, but on another level it's simply Kurt's poetic last effort of preserving the friendship they once had. That is another testament to Reichardt's story - she gives us characters in the present, as if we were a fly on the wall, and doesn't allow us any insight into their pasts or futures. It's up for us to judge them as they are now. And for that, the viewers get to fill-in-the-blanks for themselves and it makes for a far more engaging experience.
  
  Even if you don't like the film, I can assure you it'll make you want to go camping. It really captures that unexplainable connection we have with the wilderness and the tenderness of a conversation by campfire. The film is sweet, nostalgic, moving, and it feels completely real.
  
  I really loved this, however anyone taking my recommendation should proceed with caution. It's not for everyone, and I understand that many people will hate this as violently as I loved it. Then again - at the very least, it's absolutely worth discussing.

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• 
  
  December 10, 2008

  EarthlyAlien

  "Sorrow is nothing but worn out joy."
  
  Old Joy is the sort of film that I like more as time goes by. At first viewing it seems sluggishly paced, has very little dialogue and really doesn't have much going on. So as you can see, there really isn't any direction to go...( read more) but up. This is the sort of film that will try the patience of its audience. If you're the kind of person whose attention spam is a bit limited and who tends to roll their eyes at the mention of "New Age" thinking, you'll probably consider this film a sort of torture.
  
  
  
  But if you can get past all of that, and I'm guessing for a lot of people that's going to be quite a slog, you'll find quite a beautiful, thoughtful film. That slow pace and absence of dialogue makes for an environment where the viewer is almost forced to pay closer attention. Every gesture, expression or movement by the actors becomes magnified, begging us to heavily analyse every little thing, perhaps to excess. It's a film where you can actually feel a vibe between the characters, a wordless energy everyone can feel but no one really wants to talk about.
  
  The film opens with Mark (Daniel London) sitting in his garden attempting to meditate, badly. Eventually he is interrupted by the phone and a request from an old friend to go on a road trip to a hot spring. Mark wrestles briefly with his guilt over wanting to go, since that means leaving his very pregnant wife behind for the weekend. She doesn't harass him about it but he still defensively seeks her permission before going. Clearly Mark isn't quite settled into married life yet.
  
  When we meet Kurt (Will Oldham), it's almost impossible not to cringe. His appearance shrieks pitiful hippie. Marks seems to agree, looking more than a little appalled when Kurt starts to talk about how he is "so much more enlightened now" that he's back from one of his trips. You can almost see the gears cranking in Mark's head as he contemplates a good excuse to back out of this trip.
  
  It comes as a surprise to no one that their first stop is to buy some pot. The rest of the film is a languid road trip through the Oregon woods to the spring. Kurt carries things along with his pot-fuelled theories and stories, giving the audience plenty to laugh at and making Mark steadily more uncomfortable. Obviously these two were once much closer but now Mark is trying to pull away as Kurt tries to reclaim that closeness. It all seems very familiar, like the sort of reconnection with an old friend that we've been through. That familiarity makes you feel extremely close to both men.
  
  I would of course be remiss in not mentioning director Kelly Reichardt's charming dog Lucy, who accompanies the two on their trip.
  
  What makes Old Joy stand out is the way it creates a mood, building an energy between the two men that invites our queries. Is Kurt attracted to Mark? Does Mark feel like he made a mistake in getting married? Are these guys for real or are they just posers who have no real ideas, just echoes of other people's? There's really no answer to any of this, just an open invitation to watch and contemplate, to feel what is going on without any concrete sense of the history behind it. When the film comes to an end, nothing is really answered. These guys are on a journey, they just don't seem to know what for.
  
  Certainly they are both looking for more than a warm beer, hot bath and a naked hippie. Neither one is comfortable enough with themselves to be able to define their lives and find a direction. Like their journey to the spring (in which they get lost), they don't seem to know where they are going. Guys like this make a real statement about their politics with their appearance and behavior. They champion peace and understanding for the world but for themselves don't know how to find either one.
  
  Reichardt uses clean and simple cinematography to illustrate the starkness of Mark and Kurt's faded friendship. 90% of the film is shot in the wild, and it struck me as Herzog-esque in more than one occasion. A teacher by day, Reichardt doesn't rely on art to pay the bills, which enables her to create films the way she wants. Word is she spent roughly $77,500 producing and distributing the film. Despite its modest funding, Old Joy was a huge success at Sundance and several other film festivals. The soundtrack features original work by the band Yo La Tengo, and their lilting instrumental score provides a calming backdrop to this otherwise tension-filled drama.
  
  Intriguingly, from what I've read and heard from the festivals this showed at, it was clear that a lot of people dismissed Old Joy rather easily as boring and pointless. I personally found it perceptive and surprisingly moving. It can go both ways, really. It's that kind of film. The point is Reichardt has done an amazing job (with so little) of getting a lot across with this film in a very subtle manner. Perhaps for a lot of people it was too subtle but I find it impossible not to be impressed by the effort.
  
  Now I can't wait to watch Wendy and Lucy.

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  December 28, 2009

  runemail

  If you take the commercial Hollywood crap out of "bromance" you would end up with something like this. Minimalist, bittersweet, gentle, slow-paced and peaceful.
  
  You really dont need a lot of dialogue when you have a score this good.

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  December 3, 2009

  abovethestaff

  Good story of a couple of friends who've grown apart.

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  February 4, 2009

  339z

  wow i have just seen this movie 4 the 1st time n think that this is a really powerful movie 2 watch....its got a good cast of actors/actressess throughout this movie its really enjoyable throughout....i think that the director of this Drama movie had done a really good job of dir...( read more)ecting this movie because you never know what 2 expect throughout this movie..its got a really good cast of actors/actressess throughout this movie..i think that will oldham is great throughout this movie..this is a good buddy movie 2 watch because its got a good cast of actors/actressess throughout this movie

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  January 12, 2009

  noleander

  The modern town hardly knows silence.

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  June 18, 2008

  girlybat

  "i want us to be real friends again. there's something between us and i don't like it. i want it to go away."

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• 
  
  June 6, 2008

  brothahawk

  Very peaceful. Good music... with a strange gay twist.

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