Yes there are some spoken lines in Kelly Reichardt's 'Old Joy', but in reality, the film is about the silences that ornament so much of the film's running time. It is about what's not said by the characters instead of what's actually said. This is a very poignant depiction of two old friends with very different present lives and who have gradually strayed away from each other over time, coming together one last time to silently celebrate and bid farewell to past memories. The film very sensitively portrays the transition that a man has to go through at a specific stage in life. Being a man in my 20s, this film hit me hard as there is a very noticeable sense of suppressed melancholy that permeates almost every shot which I can completely relate with. The fact that this was made by a woman further underlines why the gender of the artist doesn't matter as long as he/she has a deep understanding of the human condition. Big Recommendation.
