Movie Review: Old Joy (2006)

Old Joy is an independent road movie by Kelly Reichardt. It is among the most meditative movies I have seen in a long time. If you ever did a road trip through Oregon, you know how beautiful, green and serene it can be. This movie is about two friends Kurt & Mark (& the dog Lucy), who take a trip from Portland to Bagby Hot Springs. Kurt seems like a drifter who smokes a lot of pot and has some very interesting ideas on life, Mark on the other hand is supposed to be the level headed one who is about to enter parenthood. Kurt & Mark were friends once a while ago and Kurt has since moved away to Ashland. In many ways it is about lost friendships and how it gets difficult to relate with old friends, but in lots of ways it is just about being and about taking a road trip to some destination, having no idea where one is going, eventually reaching the destination and having a good time. There is not too much of a story and the radio plays a role as well.

The cinematography by Peter Sillen is spectacularly beautiful and the music by Yo La Tengo is most apt for this movie. I found the movie to be a wonderful slow moving meditative experiment.

PS: The disclaimer in the end that Bagby hot springs does not allow nudity or alcohol consumption cracked me up;-o).