Review of Old Joy (2006) by Jen P — 13 Jan 2008
Film may be a purely visual and auditory experience, but every once in a while you leave a theater with the impression that you've tasted, smelled, or touched. Old Joy is an immanently sensuous picture.
No contemporary film has captured the zeitgeist with such hypnotic ease. Two old friends attempt to realign the diverging paths their lives have taken, journeying into the woods of the Pacific Northwest in search of a hidden bath house fed by a hot spring.
Will Oldham glows as an aimless and frustrated dreamer, prone to emotional bouts with elemental metaphysics. And Daniel London, as Oldham's straight-man friend, acts most expressively with the contours of his face, which seem to physically recede and flatten as the two friends grow further apart.
Old Joy was recently released on DVD, but don't let that keep you away. This is probably your last chance to catch it on the big screen. Give in to its subtle flow.
This review of Old Joy (2006) was written by Jen P on 13 Jan 2008.
Old Joy has generally received positive reviews.
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