Intimacy, not homosexuality.

That's what Old Joy illustrates in the relationship between these two men. To suggest that we're left to speculate whether or not they slept together, is to completely miss the point.

Will Oldham's character had earlier lamented the "something between us" that he could not name, and in their shared relaxation in the hot springs, Daniel London's character was able to clear what had come bewteen them (ostensibly age, i.e. the maturation into differing worldviews), and for a moment, albeit briefly, the two were able to enjoy a certain oneness, if I am allowed to use such hokey language.

Male intimacy is rarely addressed in American films, and I was pleased beyond reason to see it so lovingly touched upon in Old Joy. Which is not to say that Old Joy's central theme is confined to men. Obviously, the theme of tenderness and emotional honesty belongs to us all.