Julie (en 12 chapitres)

Reading the other reviews I am amazed polarizing this film seems to be. When I watched the film a few days ago at the Viennale (Vienna International Film Festival), I would never have thought that it could breed controversy. My feelings about it lie somewhere in between those comments. I never felt it to be boring but I also never thought it groundbreaking in any way. The film, especially in the beginning, has a light approach to the story, almost as if taking its main protagonist not too serious. The narration and chapter style enhances this impression. There are many, quite entertaining, cinematic ideas and moments, most remarkable the long "freeze" sequence and some animation scenes. I found those very fitting in a positive sense since the aim of the character was to find her own way of being. The male versus female relationship question about prospects, identity, future are discussed at length. Sexism is also a theme that creeps up. The film develops a deeper meaning toward the end while the final episode was a kind of let down experience which I don't want to elaborate, otherwise I would need to mark this with spoiler alert.

The acting of all is first class and touching, but why there is such an excitement on the side of the critics eludes me.

'The Worst Person in the World (2021)' is a deeply moving experience. It resonates with me in a way that very few films do. I feel it. It isn't just entertainment, it's something more. Exactly what that is, I can't quite say. Through a seemingly simple story of one woman's life, the picture works its way into your mind, your heart, your soul itself and provokes powerful emotions that you didn't even know movies could provoke; not just sadness or joy or excitement or longing (all of which it provokes in droves), but the kind of emotions that can't be put into words, the kind that weigh on your consciousness and shape your relationship with yourself and the world around you. It's difficult to describe, really, and I'm sure I'm probably slipping into hyperbole. I've lost any sense of objectivity (what little I usually have, at any rate) when it comes to discussing this picture, because its ultimate impact is one that I just can't shake and I'm not sure I ever want to. It's a profoundly affecting affair, one that overcomes any of its initial slowness or slice-of-life limitations, thanks primarily to its uncompromisingly complex nature. It's one of the most honest pieces of fiction I've ever seen, crafting characters who seem like they could walk off the screen and representing reality - or, at least, our lived experience of it - in a way that most kitchen-sink dramas could only dream of doing. It presents a plethora of powerful and often poignant ideas that keenly represent the human condition, all while remembering that its protagonist is the one driving the action and that it owes her a fully-formed narrative that entertains as much as it stirs. Its infrequent formalistic touches are absolutely delightful, but it's the rock-solid 'regular' stuff that matters the most. These moments are told not with style, but with substance; the actors often tell entire libraries worth of stories with their eyes alone. Indeed, this is some of the best acting I've seen in a long time, capable of conveying thought and emotion without so much as a single word. It's often all in the eyes; you could get lost in the pupils of its two leads. The chapter-based structure lends vitality to a plot that may otherwise have felt a little aimless, and the writing is simply divine. The feature just nails everything it sets out to achieve. The more I think about it, the more I like it. It's the sort of thing that proves ratings are insignificant. How can you assign stars to something like this? I can't put my feelings into words, let alone stars. I can't quantify it by the same metrics I use for other films. Even if it isn't as entertaining as the ones I enjoy the most, it's almost certainly much more powerful; very few of them make me feel the way this one does. Maybe another viewing is necessary to determine the picture's true score. Then again, maybe this right here - what I'm feeling right now - is more than enough. It isn't the sort of thing I experience very often; as such, it's a bit hard to process. What else can I say? This is honestly the kind of film that I could see changing your life in one way or another, however small and seemingly insignificant. As I mentioned earlier, it's a deeply moving experience.

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.