Old Joy: Nothing Happens.
Really. Nothing.
It’s a walk in the woods. It’s reconnecting with an old friend—though it’s unclear if the friend is a bit off his nut because of all the weed he smokes or just generally off his nut. For 73 minutes I waited for the crazy guy to pull out an axe or to shoot the other friend. Nothing.
Old Joy is a meditation on slowing down. The photography of the Oregon woods is beautiful. The destination of the Bagby Hot Springs, breathtaking. Lots of peaceful ambient sound and streams and dripping. The vehicle is two friends reconnecting in awkward ways: one has moved on, about to become a father. One lives among his abstractions, poverty and drug sales.
Watch Old Joy for the reflections on friendship. Watch expecting to revisit your own awkward attempts to reconnect. Don’t watch for robots, explosions or aliens, though Will Oldham’s character (“Kurt”) might just as easily fit in a Men In Black film. Actually, Oldham’s beard alone would make an excellent alien.
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conversation is an engine 
But wait--what do you think? Tell me: