The story follows Georgy (Viktor Nemets), a truck driver, as he encounters some unexpected problems on his route. In the beginning, he is stopped at a police station and the officers tell him that he cannot continue. From there, things begin to spiral downward. He runs into a young prostitute that leads him to a dead end, where he continues to encounter untrustworthy and malicious people. By the end, Georgy is hardly recognizable. The story exposes the daily lives of the morally bankrupt citizens and officials, and how it feels to be caught in between the two, with no one to ask and no one to answer to.
The glory of the film is in its asides. New characters pop in and out of the film and their transient conversation and action stay with you until well after the credits. Georgy is not as much as the main character, as he is the magnet to all the action. He goes through the experiences of the film as much as the audience does; he does little action, but receives a lot of it. With endless frustration and disappointment, by the end, you are left with a feeling of losing a game you never wanted to play.
From beginning to end, My Joy never ceases to impress. When the wheel turns, you hear every piece of rock hit the ground. When the car shakes, you shake with it. As a parable for living in post-communist Russia coming from a successful political documentarian, My Joy has the makings for great storytelling with a creepy veil between fact and fiction.
The DVD is presented in the 2:35.1 aspect ratio in Russian with the option for English subtitles. The bonus material includes a theatrical trailer and stills gallery.
