Directed by Kelly Reichardt, Photographed by Peter Sillen, based on a story by Jonathan Raymond

Old Joy is the story of two old friends, Kurt (Will Oldham) and Mark (Daniel London), who reunite for a weekend camping trip in the Cascade mountain range east of Portland, Oregon. For Mark, the weekend outing offers a respite from the pressure of his imminent fatherhood; for Kurt, it is part of a long series of carefree adventures. As the hours progress and the landscape evolves, the twin seekers move through a range of subtle emotions, enacting a pilgrimage of mutual confusion, sudden insight, and spiritual battle. When they arrive at their final destination, a hot spring in an old growth forest, they must either confront the divergent paths they have taken, or somehow transcend their growing tensions.

Nominated Best Film of the Year: New York Gotham Awards
Nominated Cassevettes Award: Independent Spirit Awards
Ten Best Films of the Year: IndieWire, Entertainment Weekly, Time Out New York
Winner Tiger Award: Rotterdam Film Festival
Official Selection Sundance Film Festival
MoMA New Directors New Films

2006
76 minutes
16mm to 35mm


WATCH VIDEO