We all search for meaning. Regardless of who we are or where we come from, each one of us is consistently trying to make sense of our existence, whether we choose to verbalise it or not. Yet, despite some riveting works by philosophers, theologians and scientists alike, we are no closer to understanding the miracle of life or our overall purpose today than we were thousands of years ago. Despite these constraints and the realisation that we are likely never going to actually be able to find answers to these questions, we still seek some kind of understanding of life, since it brings us an unconventional comfort to know that there could be more to this than we have been led to believe. Hal Hartley has always been fascinated by these questions and frequently uses them as the foundations for many of his works, particularly his quieter and more intimate character-driven dramas. This is the case for Where to Land, his most recent film and his first in over a decade, which tells the story of Joseph Fulton, a once-beloved film director who redefined the art of the romantic comedy – but he is now much older and seen as a remnant of the past, and any attempts to revisit his former glory are quickly dismissed when he realises that there isn’t a place for him in the industry any longer. In an effort to reconnect with himself and his community, he chooses to seek out work in a nearby cemetery, which immediately alerts his friends and family that something may be amiss, only worsened by the discovery that he is meeting with his lawyer to draw up his last will, which he insists is only a formality. Over the course of a couple of days, Joseph wanders around New York, trying to make sense of the chaos that surrounds him, in the hopes of finding himself in the process, which proves to be quite a tall order. A beautiful and poetic work that may just be the best American film of the year, particularly in how it not only signals the return of a true master of the craft, but also in the ways it navigate challenging conceptual territory, developing into a poignant and engrossing blend of gentle comedy and heartfelt drama, the kind of tonal balance that has always been one of Hartley’s most sincere strengths, and one sorely missing from many contemporary independent films.

The process of stepping into the world of Where to Land requires an active attention to the underlying themes, which are not particularly easy to pinpoint at first. Hartley is a filmmaker who tends to oscillate between stories that are filled to the brim with complex ideas and ones that focus on the smallest and simplest of cues imaginable. In some cases, he manages to combine the two in creative and compelling ways – and this film is a perfect example of this in practice. At first, we are led to believe that this is a story about a man who is informed that he is living on borrowed time, and therefore, his attempts to add meaning to his otherwise banal life could only be described as a last-ditch attempt to make amends so that he can die in peace. However, the film initially refuses to provide any information as to whether or not this is the case – it starts in media res as he applies to do volunteer work at the local cemetery, his intentions as unclear to the audience as it is to the other characters, who are witnessing this man’s feverish efforts to achieve something, the precise goal being entirely unknown to any of us. However, as the film progresses, we see that every theme that Hartley introduces on the surface – mortality, faith, community, family, artistic expression – is merely window-dressing for a film that is primarily about the very simple act of searching for meaning in a world we cannot ever truly understand. This is not a story of a man trying to resolve all unfinished business before dying, but rather someone entering their final act, which they hope will last decades, but electing to do so through abandoning all the dead weight that has followed them in the past, in the hopes of starting afresh. This becomes the foundation for a fascinating character study that shows the importance of trying to make sense of a world that continues to bewilder and challenge us, and the value in not abandoning hope, but rather losing the feeling that we have to move through life with regrets. Renewal is an important part of human existence, something that many tend to neglect in a lot of instances – and through following Fulton’s journey of self-discovery, we find that there are some very poetic statements being made on the nature of reality and the value of looking beyond our immediate surroundings and finding meaning where most would just see obstacles.

Hartley mounted a very small production here (and most of it was crowdfunded), which meant there was very little chance of being able to attract the kind of sprawling, notable casts that have often punctuated his previous works. This is not at all a complaint, since we instead find some of the most talented character actors currently working were enlisted, and rather than playing relatively small, inconsequential supporting parts, they’re placed front-and-centre, every one of them getting their own moment. Bill Sage has always been included in lists of actors that everyone recognises but often struggle to name, which is an oddly perfect position to be in for a film like Where to Land, which requires someone marginally recognisable, but not a major star – most of his arc is built around his feelings of fading away, and choosing a working actor who has always delivered very strong performances but never received the acclaim he deserves is a good fit. It also proves that there is no age limit on breaking out – at nearly seventy, Fulton is hoping to reinvent himself, and while he is not quite as old as the character he is playing, Sage proves that he can position himself as a leading man, against all odds. He’s joined by Robert John Burke, a scene-stealer as the surprisingly philosophical graveyard caretaker, Kim Taff as his overly-pernickety girlfriend, Edie Falce (in one of her most endearing and compassionate roles) as Fulton’s ex-wife, who still considers him her best friend, and the always brilliant Kathleen Chalfant, someone who is always a pleasure to see on screen, and who covertly delivers the film’s best performance in a single scene, tying together all the various narrative strands that occupy this film. It’s exceptional work across the board, and everyone is absolutely stellar, even those less-experienced actors (such as Jeremy Hendrick and Jay Lenox, as a pair of opportunistic young filmmakers who recur throughout the film), who may not be as comfortable in front of a camera as others, but who still bring a sincerity to a film that truly benefits from such exceptional work.

Considering the subject matter, Where to Land is a surprisingly subtle film – the subject of death is so complex and layered that we would usually expect some melodramatic deconstruction of the human condition. However, this has never been Hartley’s style, and he instead chooses to once again follow a simpler and more nuanced path in telling the story. The tone of the film exists somewhere between lovable comedy and warm-hearted drama; the oscillation between the two forms the foundation for most of the film’s creative and aesthetic decisions. It’s not an overly complex affair – it is made on a small budget, and filmed on location, which not only is an economical choice on the director’s part, but a conceptual one too, as it lends the film a sense of authenticity and lived-in honesty, something that we don’t often find being so effectively reflected on screen in this way. It’s a poetic and meaningful examination of humanity, with most of the complexity being reserved for the underlying emotions. The actors work closely with Hartley to unpack these characters and their individual existential journeys, and each one of them seems to be aligned in following the same general approach, which is to focus on delivering the truth rather than going too far with material that is evidently beneath them in many ways. It’s a fascinating film that has some strong ideas scattered throughout, and Hartley knows exactly how to process them in such a way that it becomes an act of rebellion against conventions in quiet, meaningful ways. Where to Land is a film that doesn’t announce itself so much as it simply arrives, being a quiet and beguiling blend of humour and pathos, the kind that can only spring from the mind of a director who explicitly understands every recess of the human experience.

Hartley tells a story about a man moving through life, determined to find the answer to one simple question: when you are in freefall, where do you land? Naturally, we don’t get an answer – and to even propose one is to imply that one understands every aspect of human existence, when the opposite could not be more true. Instead, it focuses on creating several very familiar scenarios, evoking elements that we can all universally recognise in one way or another, and quietly exploring them to create a beautiful and meaningful story of one man’s journey to understand the world in which he lives, something that he initially views as a fool’s errand, but eventually comes to find does yield results, simply not the ones he was necessarily expecting. A very simple film (and at a mere 74 minutes, it is extremely short, never overstaying its welcome – although we do secretly wish for it run for longer, since its such a joy to see these people interacting), but one anchored by exceptional performances, an impeccable script that is both natural and poetic, and driven by a sense of genuine curiosity and a deep desire to understand the world in which we live, this is an absolutely brilliant work, and one that is only going to age better as time progresses. It’s a quieter and more subtle return for Hartley, but even after a decade of being absent from the director’s chair, he proves that he still has that spark of ingenuity that has always driven his work, being a perfect depiction of his many stunning skills, with Where to Land proving to be a strong exploration of these many complex concepts (death, family, community, religion and a range of other fascinating subjects), condensed into a very simple, evocative, charming and painfully human work.