Courtesy of Janus Films
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A new documentary short is putting a longtime Upper West Side household in the spotlight. Carol & Joy, directed by Nathan Silver, offers an intimate look at actress Carol Kane and her 98-year-old mother, Joy, who still lives — and still teaches music — from their neighborhood apartment. IndieWire was the first to report on the film and to debut its trailer.
The project reunites Silver with Kane, who starred in his 2024 feature Between the Temples. This time, rather than playing a role inspired in part by her own family, Kane appears as herself. The documentary follows Silver as he stops by the Kanes’ apartment with a 16mm camera, capturing an afternoon of conversation, memories, and music shared between mother and daughter.
Joy, who continues to work as a music teacher at nearly 100 years old, emerges as a central force in the film. Silver has long incorporated his own mother into his work — she appeared in each of his first nine features — and Kane previously explained to IndieWire how the director’s family history inspired the character she played in Between the Temples. She also shared how elements of her on-screen persona came directly from Joy, who once moved to Paris in her fifties to rebuild her life as a musician and ultimately became a respected teacher in Europe.
Some of Carol Kane’s most notable roles include Gitl in Hester Street and Simka on the television show “Taxi.” Other notable roles include Allison Portchnik in Annie Hall, Valerie in The Princess Bride, the Ghost of Christmas Present in Scrooged, and Lillian Kaushtupper in “The Unbreakable Kimmy Schmidt.”
Carol & Joy is being released by Janus Films and will premiere on the Criterion Channel on Monday, December 1.
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