TMS Movie Review: The Worst Person in the World
(Oslo Pictures / Neon Films)
It might be unfair to compare the quality of Joachim Trier’s The Worst Person in the World to my favorite movie; but I also can’t help if my favorite movie—Woody Allen’s Annie Hall (1977)—is the reason the modern romantic comedy genre exists how it does. Trier’s new romantic dramedy has been getting praise since its European release last autumn, and I’m happy to say it lived up to my expectations. Though with a couple different results. Imagine if Annie Hall was from Annie’s POV instead of Alvy’s; and Annie not only had the charming eccentricities in the couple, but also the neurosis. Imagine this happening in Oslo, Norway, instead of NYC, and with two relationships instead of one.
In modern day Oslo, Julie (Renate Reinsve) is reaching 30, working in a local bookstore because she’s still indecisive on what to do for a career, and experiences two important relationships back-to-back. The first boyfriend, Aksel (Anders Danielsen Lie), is 15 years older and a successful comic book writer-artist. The second, Eivind (Herbert Nordrum), is an ordinary barista around her age. The title, The Worst Person in the World, refers to the fact that Julie overlaps both relationships, and is generally extra blunt and brazen with her choices.
(Oslo Pictures / Neon Films)
I’ve seen complaints from viewers that Trier and screenwriter Eskil Vogt focused too much of the story on Aksel and Eivind, but I really don’t get that criticism. Save for a couple of scenes dedicated to the men’s arcs, I felt it was pretty clearly Julie’s tale. Some have compared the heroine of Worst Person to Alana Haim’s protagonist in PT Anderson’s Licorice Pizza, wherein both young ladies are in denial about aging. While Haim’s character is frustrated and unhappy, Reinsve’s is mostly just indecisive and conflicted. I didn’t feel that her character or performance bordered on immature or lazy, though she is making some questionable decisions. Acting wise, Reinsve is a revelation and deservedly one of the best lead performances of 2021/2022. Lie and Nordrum are also good as the two men in Julie’s life and Trier’s direction calls back to a softer, more restrained parallel to Marc Webb’s (500) Days of Summer (2009). The film does end on a down note compared to all of the other films I’ve mentioned, though it’s not too bleak or depressing.
The Worst Person in the World is the third and final effort in Trier & Vogt’s ‘Oslo trilogy’ following Reprise (2006) and Oslo, August 31st (2011). Though, for me, the new film works perfectly alongside Annie Hall and (500) Days.