Get the latest Syracuse news delivered right to your inbox.
Subscribe to our newsletter here.

“The Worst Person in the World” starts off with an unknown voice that introduces the audience to Julie, a medical student in her late 20s who’s transitioning to a career as a photographer in the hopes of gaining stability in her life. Her character has all the makings of a picturesque lifestyle personally and professionally — her social life and incoming career all seem to be bright and constructive.

Writer and director Joachim Trier wanted his next film to tackle the confusion of your 30s — that moment when all the rules are broken out of troublesome, emotional dread, coexisting with radiant, lovely bliss. Premiered at New York Film Festival last weekend, “The Worst Person in the World” not only tackles those inevitable moments astonishingly, it perhaps does so more flawlessly than any film in recent memory. It’s told over 12 chapters — plus a prologue and an epilogue — and as an audience member, you’ll fall in love with Julie through her journey.

The film follows Julie (Renate Reinsve) as she works at a local bookstore while discovering what it means to be alive in the now, and the pros and cons of planning to not have a plan. When serious aspects of adulthood come up, Julie’s excitement and lust for life deter her from these commitments. While some choices in her life are way past their expiration date, her hopes of achieving these new experiences could shed light on new perspectives.

“I feel like a spectator in my own life. Like I’m playing a supporting role in my own life,” Julie says.

Through the introduction, it almost seems as if the film will be filled with the same romantic comedy cliches that ruin most melodramas that have come before it, the same late ’20s to early ’30s coming-of-middle-age trope that exists on half of the Black List — a list of popular unproduced scripts. It’s an astounding feat to grow up, to have a solid perspective on yourself, and continuously stick with it. “The Worst Person in the World” is able to project these newfound discoveries of self truthfully, honestly and flawlessly.

Julie falls in love with Aksel (Anders Danielsen Lie), a semi-famous comic book artist. She becomes infatuated with his art and philosophy toward existence and respects and admires his every move. The comic book artist introduces Julie to his friends and parents, and she ultimately moves in with him. Their relationship is seemingly perfect; it’s a special and fruitful kind of love that rarely happens these days, one you can feel watching the film.

But as their relationship progresses and the thoughts of kids, parent trouble and serious adulthood continue to scare her senseless, her ultimate confusion causes her to change paths yet again. Out of childlike curiosity, Julie crashes a houseparty near where she lives, where she meets and subsequently falls for Eivind (Herbert Nordrum), one of the partygoers.

As each year goes by, Julie’s solidifications of self become more wobbly, with the assumption of a more stable and secure daily routine ultimately devouring itself, the plausible “simple” life … now long gone.

Never has a movie made me laugh and cry so much in one sitting, and I applaud Trier for capturing life in the most romantically honest way.

He cares for his actors, giving them space to work throughout the entire two-hour runtime. The concepts of the chapters provide an excellent outline on where we are in the story of Julie’s life, and since it’s a film based on performance, Julie, Aksel and Eivind are what make the film complete.

Aksel and Eivind embody love exceptionally. They’re kind, warm and emotionally heartfelt towards Julie, and the chemistry between all of them is vibrant. It almost feels as if these characters were in a special relationship once in real life, playing with each other through laughter, tears and warm sentimentality. Reinsve won the best actress award at Cannes this year, and I predict she will win every single award this year.

Reinsve is an acting powerhouse in the film who plays an endearing character. You don’t exactly root for Julie to fall for a specific love interest, nor root for her decision-making, yet you’re in awe of the relatability of her successes and failures. She’s as hilarious as she is devastating, and her character is creatively explored by the terrific screenplay by Trier and co-screenwriter Eskil Vogt.

Trier brings empathy under a truthful light, exploring different themes on the trials and tribulations of humanity in a more distinctive light than ever before. This is one of those rare, wonderful filmgoing experiences that remind you of falling in love with cinema for the first time. The audience left the theater at the New York Film Festival floored with emotion. Every film for the rest of the year has the toughest challenge to face: top Trier’s masterpiece, “The Worst Person in the World.”

Published on September 30, 2021 at 12:27 am