The Worst Person In The World
Think of a Noah Baumbach film x the records of The National x Dakota Johnson x Maude Apatow and lots of wine and you’ve got Joachim Trier’s The Worst Person in the World. And it’s amazing.
Yes, it’s a romantic drama, but really, for those who hate love stories. Julie, a 20-something student navigates her way (quite aimlessly) through the ebbs and flows of her stoic life. There’s happiness, there’s pain, there’s desire and there’s embarrassment. There’s 12 chapters of Julie’s four year journey to acceptance and each chapter is as entertaining, heartfelt and honest as the last.
Coming off the heels of her best actress win at Cannes; Renate Reinsve’s lead performance is immaculate, charming and full of youthful joy. Every half-smile peeks with curiosity and every tear is a pull on our heartstrings. There is a vibrant echo of the beating soul of Oslo, Trier brings the city to life with cocktail parties, cottage sunsets and bustling city streets. Life isn’t as mundane as we live it. There are choices we make in our daily lives and it is up to us to act upon them. And Julie does. Whether or not they are the right decisions, she moves forward, yearning for her place in the world.
Bolstered by a beautiful screenplay and subtle direction, The Worst Person in the World is as intimate and personal as a coming-of-age drama can get. We may be cynical about where we are, but there is more to our place in the world. We just have to find it.
4.5 out of 5.
