Old Joy

Long lost buddies Mark (Daniel London) and Kurt (Will Oldham aka Bonnie Prince Billy) meet up for the first time in years, drive through the beautiful wooded landscapes of Oregon with some nice music by Yo La Tengo on the soundtrack, have a bit of a chat about things and then go home. That's it, really. But of course, there's so much more. Underneath a lightly serene surface is a musing on the ageing of friendship, the differing routes once close people will take through necessity and the ongoing personal search for a still point at the centre of a turbulent planet. Kelly Reichardt's short feature (a mere 73 minutes) is a perfect gem, an evocation of unwelcome maturity and the definition of sorrow as "worn-out joy." It's a film to be treasured and kept close, one day you might find it means a lot to you. [Euan Andrews]