The Worst Person In The World

 It's time to detail the other film I streamed on Thursday. That would be The Worst Person In The World, Norway's entry into the International Feature Oscar race. Eskel Vogt and director Joachim Trier are also up for Best Original Screenplay, and they could conceivably win if their Best Picture rivals cancel each other out. It doesn't help that it has a compelling tale to tell:

Vogt and Trier chronicle fourteen chapters (including a prologue and epilogue) in the life of Julie (Renate Reinsve), a directionless young woman in Oslo. We see her go from medical school to psychology major to photography in the span of that prologue. She also meets Aksel (Anders Danielsen Lie), a significantly older comic book artist, and they hit it off. She later breaks up with Aksel in favor of Eivind (Herbert Nordrum), whom she meets at a party. Julie figures that she has a lot of time to figure things out. Some like Aksel have significantly less time on their hands...

Anyone worried about their personal futures can relate to Julie. Her fluctuating career paths and relationships initially seem like youthful restlessness. But we eventually see the existential dread in her life. She even tells Aksel that she feels like "a spectator" in her own life when she breaks up with him. She knows and hates that she hasn't figured things out. The dread is amplified when Aksel is diagnosed with terminal cancer. It's enough to put anyone's life in perspective. Reinsve's performance makes Julie compelling throughout the film's 128 minutes.

What about her lead men? Aksel's youthfulness is reflected in his politically incorrect Bobcat comics, Norway's answer to Fritz the Cat. He's quite riled up when his work is adapted into a kid's movie. He's still a sensitive man who wants a family. Eivind leaves his lover because he can't stand her meticulous environmentalism. His initial fling with Julie is dismissed by them both as "not cheating." They have a good relationship when they officially hook up, but that doesn't last. Neither man is completely hateful; the biggest problem is existentialism.

Kasper Tuxen's cinematography gives us some great views of Oslo. The payoff is when Julie makes time freeze, runs through the city, and spends a day with the unaffected Eivind. Julie moving through the frozen city is nothing short of a visual effects triumph. It's especially so considering that the film cost €5 million. That scene, by the way, shows Ola Fløttum's great score at its best. We also get some stunning views of the Finnmark Highlands when the film shows us Eivind's perspective for a chapter. We also take a turn for the surreal when Julie trips out on shrooms. It has to be seen to be believed.

Only Julie herself would think she deserves the tile of The Worst Person In The World. We clearly see her potential for greatness as she wonders what that is. Her leading men are both likable even with some inherent flaws of their own. By the end, she faces her existential dread and gets a steady career path. Julie finally comes of age at 30. Overall, it's a compelling and unusual dramedy. It's ready for you to rent on your favorite streaming service. Amazon was mine. Hurry up though if you want to catch up on the Oscar contenders. 

Tomorrow...