La peor persona del mundo

Greetings again from the darkness. It's often fun when an innovative filmmaker turns a stodgy genre upside down and offers us a new take. And who better to flip over the frequently stale mode of romantic-comedies than Norwegian auteur Joachim Trier? Co-written with his frequent collaborator Eskil Vogt, the film could also be described as a dramady or a thirty-ish coming-of-age tale. Regardless of the label, it's entertaining and thought-provoking, as well as being a bit dark in parts (some of these also being quite funny). This is being called the final film in Trier's "Oslo Trilogy", three loosely connected films including REPRISE (2006) and OSLO, AUGUST 31 (2011).

Each of the films represents quite a shift in tone, and this latest revolves around Julie, played exceptionally well by Renate Reinsve. Trier structures the film as 12 chapters plus a prologue and epilogue. The prologue is brilliant and allows us to quickly grasp what we need to know about Julie. She changes her life goals multiple times - from doctor to psychologist to photographer, and later while working in a bookstore, she decides to be a writer. Thankfully we are spared the details in her essay on oral sex in the #MeToo era. Julie is impulsive to a fault. She has confidence but can't commit to a direction - she's confident in her uncertainty.

As she approaches 30, Julie is struggling to find her way. She's not so much lost as struggling to deal with her jumbled thoughts. Can you lose your identity if you haven't yet formed one? That seems to be the crux of Julie's inner-struggles, even as she finds a seemingly good fit for a partner. Aksel (a terrific Anders Danielsen Lie) is a successful graphic artist, and he seems to understand Julie. Their relationship builds over time, even as their individual visions and goals diverge. The best life partner still comes with challenges when you still aren't sure who you are as a person.

Julie feels herself slipping away, and that's when her impulsive nature reappears. During a special event for Aksel, she walks out and spontaneously crashes a local wedding reception. This leads to a meet cute and flirty time with Eivind (Herbert Nordrum). Both he and she are in steady relationships, but only Bill Clinton could determine if the time Julie and Eivind spend together is cheating or not. Ms. Reinsve perfectly captures the spirit of Julie. Although she's often a bit flustered, when she does smile, she radiates like a young Shelley Fabares.

Much has been made of Ms. Reinsve's performance and she certainly deserves the accolades. However, we shouldn't overlook the outstanding work of Anders Danielsen Lie in a difficult role. Filmmaker Joachim Trier's previous work also includes THELMA (2017) and LOUDER THAN BOMBS (2015), and his creativity is most welcome. Two sequences stand out in his latest. In one, the world shifts into 'freeze frame' mode as Julie runs through the streets of Oslo to find her new love, and in the second, we follow her in the midst of a drug hallucination after experimenting with mushrooms. In the story, Trier focuses on the dynamics between partners and how the stages of life can complicate things. It's charming and funny, but also quite serious, as he certainly doesn't buy into the ideal that movies must have happy endings. In regard to the title, rather than describe Julie, it's more likely meant to explain how many people think of themselves as they make decisions and mistakes - it's really a show of humanity. And quite a good one.

Opening in limited theaters on February 4, 2022.

Renate Reinsve is giving one of the performances of the year in this turbulent movie about what it's like being alive.

I came home from this and told my wife how much it reminded me of "Annie Hall" at times. And then later I was reading a profile of the writer and director, Joachim Trier, which mentioned that "Annie Hall" specifically was a huge inspiration for him as a film maker. So there you go.

Is Reinsve the worst person in the world? Hardly. She's a warm, loving woman, trying to figure out how to give love to others and yet get what she needs and feels she deserves herself. What happens when those two things seem mutually exclusive? Welcome to human relationships.

The movie is very funny in its first half, and then gets very sad in its last half. But it's never emotionally manipulative. It makes the case that it's ok to look out for yourself and your needs, but also that part of growing as a person is learning that the world isn't all about you.

Grade: A.

The Worst Person in the World is Triers last film in his Oslo trilogy (Reprise, Oslo August 31th), and it's about a women named Julie (Reinsve) whom is struggling to find her place in the world.

Virtue is the quality of being a good person and doing the right things, both for yourself and for others. I believe that Trier is problematizing this in this film by asking the question about whether or not you should do whats expected from the world around you, like settling for a more or less standardized life in forms of career and familiy, or if you should be out there and experiment to find your place in a rather confusing modern society.

Julie is on her way into her thirties and is in a relationship with Aksel (Danielsen). She is an indecisive individual when it comes to what to make out of her life. Aksel, being in his mid forties, is ready to have a familiy of his own, but Julie is not ready for that just yet. Her search for an meaningful existence leads her to another man named Eivind (Norddrum), which she falls in love with. She leaves Aksel in hope for that this time, things will be different, but will it be so?

This film is beautiful and intelligent. The way it depitcs todays social relations and culture in Norway, and probably other places in the world, is spot-on. All characters are deep and profound, where everyone of them playes an important role in the story no matter how big their part is on the screen. Everything seems to be in its right place.

The Worst Person in the World is another great film by Joachim Trier.

An achingly human & frighteningly accurate portrait of an entire generation's existential crisis, The Worst Person in the World observes millennial angst through a young woman's quest for love & meaning as she enters into her 30s without any idea about her identity & purpose in life. Crafted with flair & told with utmost honesty, this contemporary rom-com is one of the better films of the year.

Co-written & directed by Joachim Trier, the story is narrated in chapters and covers her four years journey of love & enlightenment in which we see her throw herself into different career paths & new relationships yet never going all the way. While most episodes are interesting & aptly address the film's themes, few of them are way too brief and should've been either left out or integrated with others.

The first half is lighthearted & brimming with a restless, radiant spirit while the later chapters deal with heavier themes and are treated with required seriousness. Renate Reinsve anchors the film with a performance that hits the right emotional notes and is thoroughly convincing. Anders Danielsen Lie & Herbert Nordrum also chip in with strong support and their chemistry with Reinsve is seamless & spot-on.

Overall, The Worst Person in the World is a downright sincere & thoroughly engrossing effort that renders the humanity of its characters with authenticity & compassion. Heartbreaking yet not without hope, this Norwegian dramedy understands the dreaded existential cul-de-sac that comes from not knowing who you are or where you fit in as well as the the crushing feeling of playing a supporting role in your own life story.

What a wonderful film. It's amazing how when you leave Hollywood behind, you find gems like this. Acting, script and direction are all excellent and the film is engaging from start to end.