This movie just draaaaaaaaaaags.
I don’t know. Maybe the story it’s trying to tell is too mature for me.
In any case, I really struggled to get through it.
The Worst Person in the World is a Norwegian film that follows Julie, played by Renate Reinsve, a woman in her late 20s who lacks a sense of direction and purpose. She meets Aksel Willman, played by Anders Danielsen Lie, a cartoonist who is fifteen years her senior. The two enter into a relationship, but Julie meets another man with whom she develops a strong connection.
Of course, a lot of bullshit happens along the way.
I have to give Director Joachim Trier props: the movie definitely does what it set out to do. Trier wanted to subvert the platitudes of the romantic-comedy genre by introducing a protagonist whose relationships are messy, ambiguous, and genuinely complicated, and he succeeds in doing so. Julie’s desires, goals, and priorities are all over the place. She can’t seem to commit to anything, to settle into a pattern of living. From aspiring doctor to aspiring psychologist to aspiring photographer to aspiring writer to part-time bookstore clerk. From Aksel to Eivind to Aksel to Eivind. No matter where she goes or what she does, she feels a simmering discontent that inevitably builds up to a big decision.
It’s interesting, realistic, and meaningful character writing. Whatever else can be said about the film, The Worst Person in the World captures something true about the nebulousness of life and relationships.
Unfortunately, reality isn’t the most exciting thing in the world.
In other words.
The film just felt really, really long. There isn’t much of a plot to begin with, and nothing drives the little that there is forward. Large swaths felt as meandering as its mercurial protagonist, and I occasionally had to restrain myself from fast-forwarding through the film in five-minute increments. There were moments that were impactful from a narrative standpoint, but none that felt impactful to the viewer.
Or maybe not. If I were a 29-year-old woman, I probably would’ve felt very differently about the film. In my opinion, Julie is written as a character that is compelling only insofar as she is relatable. And I was (perhaps inevitably) woefully unequipped to relate to most everything she experiences throughout the film.
That being said.
I still think it was a bit of a snoozer. When all is said and done, the film lacks dramatic tension and suspense. It was often very difficult for me to care about what was happening on the screen. The surprises didn’t feel surprising, and the dramatic moments lacked weight. From start to finish, it didn’t feel like anything was truly on the line.
Perhaps the The Worst Person in the World teaches us an important lesson about art: maybe art shouldn’t aim to reflect truth, but rather to slightly overshoot it.
Here’s a necessary addendum: if you relate to the description of Julie I provided earlier, you may get a lot out of watching this film. It’s certainly well produced and well acted. The story is very mature. Just not my thing.
My dad and I went to a local forest preserve and walked for nearly an hour and a half this morning.
I’ve been spending a lot of time in front of my computer screen, so it was nice to get out in nature, as cliched as that may sound. The preserve is expansive and includes both grassy and forested areas. We sometimes see deer and coyotes. There are a lot of birds and even more bugs.
On our way back, we stopped by Gerry’s Cafe, by far the best establishment in my suburb. Gerry’s only hires people with intellectual and developmental disabilities who struggle to hold down a job elsewhere. Although I have some gripes with the internal decor, the service is excellent, the staff is friendly, and the whole place is suffused with a sense of positivity.
The coffee isn’t bad, either.
I ordered a large. It was 9:30 a.m. and I was going to need it.
The cups?
Tasteful as hell.
I can’t say I’ve seen this movie and thanks to your review, I will save myself the pain 😂Thank you for this!