A radio journalist embarks on a journey across the United States with his young nephew.

Behind this so unspectacular-sounding scenario of the film "Come on, Come on" hides a real cinematic jewel.

Director Mike Mills' black-and-white film has charmed film critics, won the audience award at the Rome Film Festival and received rave reviews everywhere.

This is mainly due to the artists: exceptional actor Joaquin Phoenix, who received an Oscar for "Joker", plays the reporter who asks young people across the country about their attitudes towards happiness, God and the world, Gaby Hoffmann ("Wild") his sister, who is in dire straits and entrusts her eight-year-old son to him.

Above all, it is the now eleven-year-old Woody Norman, whose naturalness and sensitivity make "Come on, Come on" a sensation, a truly magical film experience that makes you happy.

Cinema that touches the soul.

Joaquin Phoenix insisted that our interview should take place over the phone, not via zoom.

The 47-year-old is considered to be shy, extremely reserved and somewhat idiosyncratic.

He usually gives almost no interviews.

In the run-up, it was said several times that you shouldn't ask him any private questions - which is difficult when the film is about these, the big private questions in life.

But it then got surprisingly private in conversation with Joaquin Phoenix and his colleague Gaby Hoffmann, especially because the actor briefly reversed the roles.

As an Oscar winner, what is the most likely thing to lure you into a new project that is put on your table?

Joaquin Phoenix: The money, as always.

(laughs) No, I'm primarily concerned with the people I work with.

I really wanted to meet director Mike Mills and talk to him about the project.

Then everything turned out like this.

Gaby Hoffmann: For me, the deciding factor was also the opportunity to work with Mike Mills and also with Joaquin.

I just had a dinner date with Mike...

JP: Like, he invited you to dinner and not me?

GH: Honestly, I invited him because he forgot his credit card!

(laughs) We had dinner in my neighborhood and it felt so familiar right away, like we've been friends for 20 years.

When Mike called me later and said that Joaquin had agreed to play the leading role, I was speechless at first.

I knew something big was coming.

Joaquin, you show magical and immensely authentic scenes with an eight-year-old colleague: sometimes they both discuss existential questions, sometimes they fool around wildly, sometimes they just remain silent.

Were you a perfect actor in those moments?

Or have you seen and experienced these situations?

JP: I basically hate "playing".

If you feel like an actor in front of the camera, you've already done something wrong.

My goal is just to live in front of the camera.

Of course, this is sometimes better and sometimes worse.

There are often many technical things to consider that make it difficult to be fully in the moment.

It is all the more important to work with the right directors, because they have to create an atmosphere on the set in which one can bathe, in which one feels blissful.

We definitely did that with this film.

How did Mike Mills make a Joaquin Phoenix feel "lovely" on set?

JP: He took a very unconventional approach to many things.

For example, we didn't have anyone on-site for hair and makeup.

Because everything should look natural.

I also had a free hand with the costumes, I could wear whatever I had in my closet.

Of course we talked about what would work in the film, but we didn't go crazy with it.

Normally there are experts on film sets for all these topics who give a lot of thought.

The fact that we decided it all ourselves was totally extraordinary for such a big film.

We didn't shoot in sets either, but in normal apartments and at original locations.

We wanted everything to feel as real as possible.

That was something completely new for me.

In fact, at some point it was completely normal for me