The Worst Person in the World Falls Flat

Hey everyone, thanks for checking out my review!

I'm a huge fan of Scandinavian dramas, and I thought 'The Worst Person in the World' would be right up my alley. I mean, who doesn't love a good mystery? But I've got to say, I was a bit skeptical about the drama aspect. I love drama as a genre, but I wasn't sure if this one would hit the mark. Let's dive in and see how it goes.

So, let's start with the basics.

Release Year: 2021

Runtime: 2h 9min

Age Rating: 18+

The film is directed by Joachim Trier, who's got some serious credentials under his belt. I was intrigued by the fact that it's a therapeutic drama with two Oscar nominations. That's definitely a selling point for me.

Plot

Meet Julie, a young student from a good Norwegian family who's trying to figure out her life. She's got big dreams of becoming a doctor, but she's also got a lot of anxiety and self-doubt. As she navigates her way through university, she starts to question her values and her place in the world. She tries her hand at psychology, writing, photography, and even bookbinding. The film is divided into 12 chapters, each one a new chapter in Julie's life.

Cast

Renate Reinsve (Julia)Anders Danielson Lee (Axel)Herbert Nordrum (Aivind)🎬Heroes really caught my eye. The actors look like real people, not just some Hollywood types. I've never seen them in anything before, and they nailed their roles. Even Julia, who's not really my cup of tea, did a fantastic job as the protagonist.

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The voiceover starts telling Julia's story. She comes from a good family, so she's got a lot of opportunities. You've probably noticed that in those pretty dramas about the main character's identity crisis, money is never really a factor. They're always searching for themselves in travel, hobbies, or relationships, but they never touch on where the money comes from.So, Julia.

Julia wanted to be a surgeon, but she quickly realized that psychology was way more interesting. She switched to psychology, but didn't finish her degree and decided to become a photographer instead. From the story, you can tell that Julia was all over the place, jumping between careers and relationships...

And now Julia's 30. She works in a bookstore and has no idea what she wants to be when she grows up. Meeting Axel was a turning point for me. He's 10 years older, a well-established comic book artist, and his work is being adapted into a film. I, on the other hand, was a young, uncertain woman, still figuring out what I wanted in life.

We both knew that we weren't compatible, with different needs, ages, and desires, but we made it work. At least, that's what it seemed like at first.

As time went on, I started feeling like something was missing. Either Axel's attention, or a sense of importance in his eyes, or even in my own. His friends, who were around his age, seemed like strangers to me, living in a different world with their own problems and desires.

We also got a glimpse into my relationship with my parents. My mom was a supportive woman, always backing me up, even when I dropped out of university to pursue photography. My dad, on the other hand, was a complicated character, with a different family of his own. I tried to fit in, but it never seemed to work out. And to be honest, I'm not sure I was much better off.

It wasn't until I ran into Aivind, a guy from my own age group, at a wedding where I wasn't even invited, that I felt like I could finally be myself. Young, carefree, and wild.

Compared to the other two, she's not such a total disaster. Young people are interacting, taking risks, and feeling a deep connection with each other. But neither of them is truly free. They part ways at dawn. And this chance encounter was meant to be just that - a one-off - but it all went down a different path.

Up until this point, I was hooked. The whole movie is built around the relationships between these three characters, and specifically, Julia's constant switching between the two guys. It's not your classic love triangle, but Julia's eternal dissatisfaction - she's never satisfied with the attention she gets from Axel, and she's secondary to his work, or she wants more, but Aivind's too old and just works as a barista, with no ambition. Julia's just stuck in this cycle of dissatisfaction and indecision.

The film itself is shot in a modern, stylish way. The story's divided into 12 chapters, each with its own title and meaning. There are plenty of conversation scenes that reveal different aspects of the main characters. To be honest, the film felt pretty boring to me. The beginning was interesting, intriguing, I'd say. The film's shot beautifully, in a modern style, with short chapters to make it easier to follow in today's short-video world. The narrative's consistent, starting and ending unexpectedly, so you don't get bored.

But if the beginning's got you hooked, wondering what's next, by the middle of the film, you'll be completely disappointed in the story, the heroine, and the film itself.

I've got to say, some of the scenes in this film are pretty intense - and not just the good kind. There are some really uncomfortable moments that feel like they're trying to shock the audience, rather than add any real depth. It's like the director is trying to leave a lasting impression, but it just comes across as forced.

To be honest, I didn't find anything particularly inspiring or uplifting in this film. It's just a lot of back-and-forth, with no real resolution or growth. I think the film is trying to say that it's okay to not know what you want, even in your 30s - and that it's normal to be searching for yourself. But I'm not sure that's a message that's going to resonate with people who are struggling with these issues. Because the main character is still stuck in the same old patterns, and it's hard to see her making any real progress. She's still infatuated with the idea of finding the perfect guy, and she's still not taking responsibility for her own happiness. It's a bit of a vicious cycle, and it's hard to see her breaking free from it. That's probably what makes the title 'Worst Person on Earth' so fitting - she's a selfish, insensitive person who only thinks about her own desires, without considering how her actions might affect those around her.

I think the film was supposed to show that just living is good too. You don't have to achieve something or accomplish anything. Not everyone's given that gift. And not everyone knows what they want or what they're striving for.But what's shown here is the drama of all that, how someone can't accept themselves just the way they are.

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Despite that, I'd still recommend watching the film - there are plenty of people with different opinions. I didn't like it myself. There are some moments and opportunities to reflect. But overall, the film feels empty. It's not clear what the viewer is supposed to take away or be inspired by. How is this film supposed to be therapeutic, exactly?

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From my perspective, I'd give the film 'The Worst Person in the World' three stars.

★ ★ ★

It's worth watching, though - maybe it'll resonate with you. And hey, they do nominate it for an Oscar.

Thanks for reading!

Wishing you all un-boring movie nights!