Old Joy

Director: Kelly Reichardt (Ode, River of Grass)
Cast: Daniel London, Will Oldham
USA, 2006

Seen: March 29, 2007 at the Bloor Cinema

Reason to see: Heard about it from a few different sources, and I am on my third attempt of #7 on my 101 list: See 1 film a week in the theatre for a year. This is from week 14/52.

This review does mention the plot of the film. You have been forewarned :)

I was a little surprized to find out after watching this that it was only 76 minutes long, it really felt like a full 2hr film. The pace often feels like real time or possibly longer but I don't see that necessary as a negative. The film is set around two friends venturing to a hot springs, but the friends are old friends. Not as in 'known each other forever and get together every weekend', but more like 'someone you ran into, decided to meet up and now notice you are different people than you once were'. It is an interesting exploration but I'm not sure if it was trying to get to more than just that exploration, I think it was because I often felt a vague sense of tension that continued through the film. Both actors are quite good, and it does feel very realistic relationship. The outdoor scenes were beautiful and made me think of when I visited my sister in B.C., however it was filmed in Portland Oregon (according to it's info on imdb).

Shannon's Overall View:
I thought it was interesting
I may watch it one more time
I'd recommend it to people who like calmly paced films about friendships

No commercials, no previews, lots of latecomers (all per norm for this theatre)

Return to Film Reviews

© Shannon Ridler, 2007