Making exceptional use of stillness and silence, this is a wry study of the passing of traditional concepts of American masculinity along with the landscape that forged them. Mark (Daniel London) and Kurt (country singer Will Oldham) were once inseparable slacker buddies. But time has seen Mark acquire domestic responsibilities, while Kurt has drifted even closer to society's margins. On a weekend camping trip to find some hot springs in the Oregon backwoods, they try to reminisce about people and places from their cherished past, only to find that the two of them have irrevocably changed - making the occasion more of a farewell than a reunion. Director Kelly Reichardt clearly commiserates with the characters, but she never patronises them. By setting their meeting against cinematographer Peter Sillen's scenic backdrop, Reichardt deftly contrasts the chaos and inconsequence of modern urban living with the consoling solitude of the wild outdoors.