Old Joy review

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Kelly Reichardt’s contemplative US indie sophomore feature plays like a zen Sideways. Over a haiku-minimalist 76 minutes set to a dreamy Yo La Tengo score, we encounter two old friends who have taken different paths in their thirties. Mark (Daniel London) is a married father-to-be; Kurt (alt-country star Will Oldham), a drifter. When Kurt suggests a camping trip to the mountains, Mark gets his boots on.

What comes next? Deliverance-style wilderness nightmares, Blair Witch tent terror, Sideways-esque pre-marital sex mischief? It’s not that kind of trip. Reichardt’s film happens between the lines – or more precisely, between Oldham’s stoner babble and London’s reflective silence, as you realise time is changing the ground under the feet of their friendship and, by just-discernible implication, the country they live in.

Old Joy is too slight to really haunt, but its subtlety is as treasurable as an old friend.

The Total Film team are made up of the finest minds in all of film journalism. They are: Editor Jane Crowther, Deputy Editor Matt Maytum, Reviews Ed Matthew Leyland, News Editor Jordan Farley, and Online Editor Emily Murray. Expect exclusive news, reviews, features, and more from the team behind the smarter movie magazine. 

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