A review of the new Norwegian film “The Worst Person In The World”

Joachim Trier is the co-writer and director of this Norwegian-language, Oslo-set, award-winning romantic drama which managed to secure – but not win – Academy Award nominations for Best International Film and Best Original Screenplay.

Structured in 12 chapters with prologue and epilogue, it tells the story of Julie, who becomes 30 in the course of the narrative, played wonderfully by the delightful Renate Reinsve making her feature debut. In a rarity for a drama, all the characters – except Julie’s father – are sympathetic and likeable, especially her two major lovers (Anders Danielsen Lie and Herbert Nordrum). The acting and dialogue are very naturalistic, although there are two fantasy sequences, in this genuinely appealing work.

I loved the film, I loved the character Julie, and I loved the performance by Reinsve. Yet Julie is a deeply enigmatic and frustrating person, if far from the worst in the world.

In reality, I’m sure that I would be exasperated by her: she changes her lovers, she changes her career aspirations, she changes her hairstyle, she cannot decide whether she wants children … As she herself puts it : “I feel like I never see anything through”. But many people are like that which makes the film so reflective of real life.


 




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