Spring Break
Emotion, not action, drives 'Old Joy'
CHUCK GRIFFIN
Issue date: 3/26/07 Section: Variety
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In "Old Joy," Kelly Reichardt (co-writer, director) and Jon Raymond (co-writer) choose to sacrifice the trivial in exchange for a slow, meditative piece about faded friendship and the inevitable losses that accompany adulthood.
The movie, based on a short story by Raymond, basically boils down to this: two old friends, Mark (Daniel London) and Kurt (Will Oldham), take an overnight camping trip to visit hot springs in the Portland, Oregon, mountain range.
Grade: A
Verdict: A quiet escape from the usual.The next day, they drive home and say goodbye to each other.
You could say that nothing really goes on in the movie, but don't say it about the characters, who face their own version of middle age with uncertainty.
Back in the day, Mark and Kurt were most likely a pair of neo-hippie, nature enthusiasts, effervescent in some sort of activism.
Years later, we meet Mark with a very pregnant wife and a gloomy look on his face. The little free time he has is spent listening to talk shows on liberal radio and meditating.
Kurt, who lives only a few miles away, is a washed-up version of his former self. He lacks direction, while shuffling in and out of night classes and having "far-out" epiphanies and doped up dreams about the universe.
The dialogue that ensues during their trip up the mountains is subtle at best with strenuous silences in between.
It may seem dull and frustrating to sit through, but every second of silence in "Old Joy" can speak incredible volumes.
There's a pivotal scene when Kurt begins pouring his heart out to Mark for the sake of their dying friendship.
Suddenly, he shrugs it off, and the two go back to drinking beer in awkward silence.
Richardt relies heavily on long stretches of gorgeous scenery, sounds of nature and London's facial expressions to bring about a strong, unspoken emotion that the two characters feel.
Thus, beneath the surface of a peaceful camping trip is Mark and Kurt's final but brief escape from society where they struggle to put aside their divergent paths and nurse an old friendship back to life.
Like jazz music, "Old Joy," in reference to its style and place in film, relies on a thoughtful concept quoted from Miles Davis: "Don't play what's there; play what's not there."
The movie, based on a short story by Raymond, basically boils down to this: two old friends, Mark (Daniel London) and Kurt (Will Oldham), take an overnight camping trip to visit hot springs in the Portland, Oregon, mountain range.
OLD JOY
Grade: A
Verdict: A quiet escape from the usual.
You could say that nothing really goes on in the movie, but don't say it about the characters, who face their own version of middle age with uncertainty.
Back in the day, Mark and Kurt were most likely a pair of neo-hippie, nature enthusiasts, effervescent in some sort of activism.
Years later, we meet Mark with a very pregnant wife and a gloomy look on his face. The little free time he has is spent listening to talk shows on liberal radio and meditating.
Kurt, who lives only a few miles away, is a washed-up version of his former self. He lacks direction, while shuffling in and out of night classes and having "far-out" epiphanies and doped up dreams about the universe.
The dialogue that ensues during their trip up the mountains is subtle at best with strenuous silences in between.
It may seem dull and frustrating to sit through, but every second of silence in "Old Joy" can speak incredible volumes.
There's a pivotal scene when Kurt begins pouring his heart out to Mark for the sake of their dying friendship.
Suddenly, he shrugs it off, and the two go back to drinking beer in awkward silence.
Richardt relies heavily on long stretches of gorgeous scenery, sounds of nature and London's facial expressions to bring about a strong, unspoken emotion that the two characters feel.
Thus, beneath the surface of a peaceful camping trip is Mark and Kurt's final but brief escape from society where they struggle to put aside their divergent paths and nurse an old friendship back to life.
Like jazz music, "Old Joy," in reference to its style and place in film, relies on a thoughtful concept quoted from Miles Davis: "Don't play what's there; play what's not there."
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