Synopsis
Soon to be a father, Mark feels the pressure of domestic responsibility closing in, so he is more than happy to accept when his old friend Kurt proposes a camping trip in the Oregon wilderness. During their time together, the men come to grips with the changes in their lives and the effect on their relationship.
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Cast
- Daniel LondonMark
- Will OldhamKurt
- Tanya SmithTanya
- Robin RosenbergWaitress
- Keri MoranLawnmower
- Autumn CampbellDiner Patron
- Steven DoughtonDiner Patron
- Matt McCormickWeed Salesman
- Darren ProlsenHomeless Man
- Jillian WieseneckDiner Patron
Recommendations
- 100
The New York Times
A triumph of modesty and of seriousness that also happens to be one of the finest American films of the year. - 100
Entertainment Weekly
It's in all the moments where little happens that Reichardt is most amazing, investing even a gas-station pit stop with perfect emotional pitch. - 100
Salon
Old Joy is only 76 minutes long, but it has the contemplative power of Buddhist meditation. Reichardt gives us long, stoned takes of rural roads; shots of birds, insects and slugs in the spectacular Oregon rain forest; interludes with Mark's dog, Lucy. Some viewers may well be bored, or monumentally irritated, by this. I found it masterly, riveting. - 91
The A.V. Club
Old Joy doesn't try for too much, but its subtle victories leave plenty to savor. - 88
TV Guide Magazine
Without relying on dialogue, and once again making good but sparing use of Yo La Tengo's toasty guitar soundtrack, Reichardt proves herself a filmmaker with a masterful sense of the expressive purity of the passing moment. - 80
Film Threat
A superb exercise in economical filmmaking. Not only from a financial standpoint, as the film was shot in HD and on-location in gorgeous Portland, Oregon…but the story here is so subtle and well drawn, if you blink you might miss it. - 80
New York Magazine (Vulture)
Against a radiant backdrop of decay and rebirth, nothing needs to be said; everything in this lovely film is crystalline. - 80
Variety
A beautifully nuanced study in friendship and the irretrievability of the past.
