The Worst Person in the World

The Worst Person in the World

The chronicles of four years in the life of Julie, a young woman who navigates the troubled waters of her love life and struggles to find her career path, leading her to take a realistic look at who she really is.

  • Released: 2021-10-13
  • Runtime: 127 minutes
  • Genre: Comedy, Drama, Romance
  • Stars: Renate Reinsve, Anders Danielsen Lie, Herbert Nordrum, Maria Grazia Di Meo, Hans Olav Brenner, Marianne Krogh, Helene Bjørnebye, Vidar Sandem, Anna Dworak, Thea Stabell, Deniz Kaya, Lasse Gretland, Karen Røise Kielland, Karla Nitteberg Aspelin, Sofia Schandy Bloch, Savannah Marie Schei, Eia Skjønsberg, Nataniel Nordnes, Rebekka Jynge, Gisle Tveito, Ruby Dagnall, Ine Jansen, Torgny Amdam, Sigrid Sollund, Are Skeie Hermansen, Siri Forberg, August Wilhelm Méd Brenner, Tumi Løvik Jakobson, Jonathan Nielssen, Maren Emilie Haagenrud Buskoven, Olav Stubberud, Martin Gran, Geir Ørnholt, Tobias Klemeyer Smith, Trygve Indrelid, Trude Schjelderup Iversen, Zoe Maland Rogers, Jonas Lund, Hildur Kristinsdottir, Johanna Brym Ryg, Thomas Teige, Margrethe Glambek
  • Director: Joachim Trier
 Comments
  • Endless_01 - 30 May 2024
    A weightless punch
    So, considering the raving reviews this film got, I was actually going into it with quite some expectations, yet ultimately I found myself thorn with what I felt, was, just a decent film that seemed to struggle to assess what it wants, or maybe I struggle to see what it tries to do.

    It is a film about finding yourself (a concept I personally find a little cliché if not done properly) during your 30s, and looking for a greater reason in life, yet the film doesn't really try to show you a way into that. It is raw in the sense that the lives that it portrays, are those of people that talk the big talk but barely do any work to actually achieve what they wish for. The protagonist is pretty much this. Julie, at times, feels like a closeted narcissist, incapable of accepting guilt or accepting that she's not as special as she thinks she is. She feels lost and wanders around life trying to find meaning.

    Yet, that's exactly what I didn't quite like about this film. Julie keeps doing just that, wandering and wandering without any clear goals, she doesn't know what she wants and she doesn't even seem to try to take the moment to actually reflect upon it other than by impulsive decisions.

    But I guess that's the whole point, is it no? This movie is not about the success of the character, or about actually finding a meaning or reason for you life, and while she is definitely not the worst person in the world, she's a lost woman in her 30s that seeks validation where there is none, betrays her closed ones, and herself in the process, to get all the way back to the starting point, all for nothing.

    The first half of the film I found to be very boring and insipid. It's hard to pay attention to a protagonist that has no personality at all, and while the secondary characters are more entertaining, they are not the focus of the film.

    The last half improves a lot more. While the crazy shots and editing adds some flavor to it, I couldn't but feel that the director wanted to add them just as a way to enhance the film visually, rather than be an actual essential part of it; it feels superfluous. On the other hand, the conversations and dialogue gets more interesting, and the stakes are higher, emotions feel stronger, and we start seeing the actions of Julie take shape into consequences.

    I guess it's a decent movie. I wouldn't call it a masterpiece, but if you are interested in a movie that portrays the angst of a 30s woman lost in life, without ever actually achieving what she wants, then you can have this one.
  • timothywalton-31924 - 1 March 2024
    Well acted, though slow and unexciting
    My biggest problem with The Worst Person In The World is that it is so obviously a film which tries to be different. It is not a conventional Romantic dramedy with a predictable arc and heartwarming resolution. It is something different altogether- like its central character Julie, the film is messy and unstructured. It is a tumultuous character piece on a character which has a chaotic mid life crisis at 30, a woman who dosent know what to do or why she's here. But my misapprehensions lie with this- this is a film billed as an exploration of Julie's existential crisis, yet it focuses almost exclusively on her love life. By subverting the classic romcom story arc, director Trier has created a messy, confusing film where a lot of time is spent in serious arguments and discussions between Julie and her partner(whether Akxel or Eivvand). The film is not so much a slow coming of age tale or story of self discovery- rather it is a chronicle of the chaos and the uncertainty in Julie's life, and I failed to see much progression from this chaos, even when nearing the end. My second problem with the film is that for a film which relies so heavily on dialogue, the dialogue is only sometimes revelatory, sometimes insightful. Other times it is artificially profound, not exactly banal, but still quite dull. But of course, the main attraction in this film is Julie herself. Remake Reinsve gives a powerhouse performance as Julie- Reinsve is very pretty, and she possesses the star quality which allows audiences to immediately focus on her in any scene. She is also a marvellous actress- her expressions and mannerisms betray a world of pain, of uncertainty and trepidation for the future. She is not the classic "messy girl" character- Reinsves Julie is a woman with depth, flaws, vulnerabilities, and multi faceted emotions. Triers cinematography also deserves praise- he expertly uses aperture settings to create well curated bouquet effects which are stunning. His photography so Oslo is also beautiful- the city is sunny, vibrant, and full of energy. On the whole, The Worst Person In Teh World failed to Engage me entirely, though I enjoyed certain sections, in particular a section which so brilliantly showcased the effervescence of first love. The other bits of this film just felt too dull- too plotless, too tragic, and too messy. This is another one of those great films I couldn't enjoy.