Old Joy

OLD JOY is the most critically acclaimed American independent film of the year. Considered “one of the most persuasive portraits of generational malaise and tentative hope to come from an American director in recent memory...a triumph.” (Manohla Dargis, THE NEW YORK TIMES), OLD JOY was directed by Kelly Reichardt (“River of Grass”, “Ode”) and written by Jonathan Raymond, from his own short story. OLD JOY will open in Los Angeles on October 13 at the Laemmle Music Hall in Beverly Hills.

A critical favorite at the recent Sundance, Rotterdam and New York New Directors/New Films festivals, OLD JOY chronicles a journey by two old friends into the Cascade mountain range east of Portland, Oregon. Now in their mid-thirties, Kurt (Will Oldham) and Mark (Daniel London) are about to begin divergent phases in their lives – and a once rock-solid friendship begins to change accordingly. For Mark, the weekend outing offers a respite from the pressure of imminent fatherhood; for Kurt, it is part of a long series of carefree adventures. As the hours progress and the two friends move further into the wild, Mark and Kurt experience a range of subtle emotions and enact a pilgrimage of mutual confusion, sudden insight, and spiritual battles.

With cinematography by Peter Sillen and musical score provided by indie-favorites Yo La Tengo (www.yolatengo.com), OLD JOY features singer/songwriter Will Oldham (“Matewan”, “Junebug”) and Daniel London (“Rent,” “Minority Report”) in career-defining performances. Reichardt’s sophomore feature is not only one of the best-reviewed films of the year but also an “exquisite, achingly beautiful” (Scott Foundas, L.A. Weekly) and truly an independent film.