Old Joy

Director: Kelly Reichardt

2006 / 76min / DCP

Two boyhood pals who have since drifted apart, played by Daniel London and musician Will Oldham, impulsively reunite for a camping and hiking trip in the verdant woods of the Pacific Northwest in Reichardt’s breakout sophomore feature, released 12 years after debut River of Grass. Dialogue is at a minimum in Reichardt’s serene, solemn film, but London and Oldham’s taciturn, intricately detailed performances—as well as the plangent score by Yo La Tengo and the evocative photographing of the landscape—speak volumes about middle-aged mournfulness and faded friendship.

Introduction and Q&A with director Kelly Reichardt, moderated by filmmaker Peggy Ahwesh on Saturday, May 11th

Part of American Landscapes: The Cinema of Kelly Reichardt