Old Joy

Movies shot in Oregon always get bonus points to me, because I can’t help get sucked into the emotionality of the land itself. In this way, Old Joy reminded me of my favorite Oregon movie, Leave No Trace, both of which use the land and the forests to convey a sense of richness in the characters themselves. This one was spare, as Reichardt’s films tend to be, but I found myself connecting more deeply to the characters than I have in Meek’s Cutoff or First Cow (which I did love.) The acting was a little unpolished at times, but overall I thought this was great.

I recently became aware of this film because the director is starting to get a lot of press for her new movie, not to mention the accolades tossed her way by the director of Parasite. I'll say right up front that this isn't a film for everyone. It's a film where nothing really happens but you get the feeling that a lot has happened or maybe already happened. Why are they here? Is there something going on between the two of them? Or is it just a matter of each of them sharing in the knowledge that one of them can't move to another station in life and the other is going to be dragged to a new station whether he likes it or not? It seemed like there are so many questions wafting around that I ended up just pushing them in the background of my brain while I tried to be present with them on their short journey. follow me at https://IHATEBadMovies.com or facebook IHateBadMovies